Information About Iznik, Turkey

Iznik, formerly called Nicaea, is a small agricultural town located on a scenic lake in the south Marmara Region of Turkey 85 km east of Bursa and Istanbul in northwest Turkey. Iznik is still located mostly within its ancient Roman and Byzantine walls and ramparts which have a circumference of approximately 4.5 Km. Iznik was colonized by the soldiers who escorted Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) during his conquests and founded in the 316 BC by King Antigonus I Monopthalmus of Macedonia, although there had already been a settlement of Bottiaei people there. Following the battle of Ipsus (301 BC), one of Alexander's generals, Lysimachos (360-281 BC) took the city and named it Nikaia after his wife and daughter of the Macedonian leader, Antipatros. Throughout the centuries the name Nikaia went through phonetic changes, becoming first Nicaea and eventually Iznik in Turkish times. The town was an important center in the Roman and Byzantine eras. 

Iznik was also an early Christian center and is famous for being the place of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. This lasted two months and twelve days. Three hundred and eighteen bishops were present. The Council was overseen by the Roman Emperor Constantine. It proclaimed the true manhood and true divinity of Jesus Christ and decreed the concept of the Trinity. It was from this Council that the Nicean Creed was formulated. The Council was held to counter the heresy of Arius who denied the divinity of Jesus. Athanasius was Arius' opponent at this council, where he prevailed Athanasius Creed. This council was also responsible for the fixing of the date for keeping Easter. Later in 787 A.D. the Seventh Ecumencial, or Second Council of Nicea was convoked by Emperor Constantine VI and his mother Irene, under Pope Adrian I. It was presided over by the legates of Pope Adrian. It regulated the veneration of holy images.

You can still see the remains of the St Sophia (Holy Wisdom) church built in the mid-fourth century AD in the form of a basilica with three alcoves. At the entrance is a mosaic work with figures representing Jesus Christ and the saints. On the north wall there is a fresco of Jesus, the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph and below it there is a grave. The second Council convened here in 787 AD during the iconoclastic period. Following the convention Iconography was accepted. Earthquakes struck in the years 358,362 and 368 AD. And ruined many of the monumental structures. In the 7th century Arab hordes on their way to Constantinople besieged Nicaea. Before this march the city walls were strengthened and Arabian troops were defeated. The Roman Empire was divided into two Empires in 476 A.D. as West and East. East Empire was then called Byzantine. During Byzantine era Nicaea was reconstructed. Churches, water ways and cisterns were built. In the year 1261, the Emperor Michael VIII captured Constantinople which became again the capital of Byzantine Empire. 

The town was besieged and conquered in 1331 by the Ottoman Turks, who renamed it Iznik and built the Green Mosque (1378-91). After a period of decline following the conquest of Istanbul by Fatih in 1453 when Istanbul became the Ottoman center Iznik became famous for Iznik ceramic ware and tiles, which produced a revival in the town in the 16th and 17th centuries. Recent excavations of Iznik kilns tell us that the Ottoman ceramics in Iznik had a Seljuk background but early 16th century tiles were influenced by the blue and white porcelain of the Ming dynasty in China and by wares from Persia. Iznik ware was made of grayish-white clay covered with a thin slip (a mixture of clay and water). Flat dishes were the commonest shapes, but bowls, jugs, and flower vases were also made. They were painted with stylized and symmetrical designs of flowers, leaves, and fruits, along with abstract linear motifs based on these natural forms and others such as fish scales. By the mid-16th century the range of colors used in the decoration had expanded from blue and white to include turquoise, several shades of green, and purple and black. The color red had become frequently used by the late 16th century. The embossed red of the wall tiles of the Mihrab of Suleymaniye Mosque (1555) marks the peak of Ottoman tiles and ceramics. During the Ottoman era, the Iznik tiles and pottery were exported to other countries via the island of Rhodes, then under Turkish rule. A famous Turkish traveler, Evliya Celebi, mentions the existence of 300 workshops in Iznik during the l7th century but the quality of Iznik ware was declining in the 17th century, and by 1800 manufacture had ceased. The Iznik foundation has again revived the lost art of ceramic making with quartz bisque and glaze and you may see the pottery being made again today. It is of very high quality. More about Iznik Tiles

In the course of its history from 316 BC to present day, Iznik presents a picture of a city that has undergone great cultural and architectural changes. In the true sense of the word, Iznik is an archeological and historical art laboratory of the Romans, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman Turks.

Iznik makes for a nice getaway for a few days, especially in the summer months where you can enjoy sunning on the banks and swimming in the lake or enjoy the wild birds and waterfowl. Fishermen still cast their nets at sunset.