İznik, historically known as Nicea , is a town and an administrative district in the Province of Bursa, Turkey. The town lies in a fertile basin at the eastern end of Lake İznik, bounded by ranges of hills to the north and south. As the crow flies the town is only 90 km southeast of Istanbul but by road it is 200 km around the Gulf of Izmit. It is 80 km by road from Bursa.
The town is situated with its west wall rising from the lake itself, providing both protection from siege from that direction, as well as a source of supplies which would be difficult to cut off. The lake is large enough that it cannot be blockaded from the land easily, and the city was large enough to make any attempt to reach the harbour from shore-based siege weapons very difficult.
The city was surrounded on all sides by 5 km (3 mi) of walls about 10 m (33 ft) high. These were in turn surrounded by a double ditch on the land portions, and also include over 100 towers in various locations. Large gates on the three landbound sides of the walls provided the only entrance to the city.
Today the walls are pierced in many places for roads, but much of the early work survives and as a result it is a major tourist destination. The town has a population of about 15,000. It has been a district center of Bursa Province since 1930. It was in the district of Kocaeli between 1923–1927 and was a township of Yenişehir (bounded to Bilecik before 1926) district between 1927–1930.
The town was an important producer of highly decorated fritware vessels and tiles in the 16th and 17th centuries.
If all you know about İznik is its reputation for fine tile-making, chances are this isn’t what you were expecting. Far from being a commercial hub, today’s town has changed surprisingly little since its Ottoman heyday, slumbering peacefully within its historic walls. The town’s hilly, rustic surrounds are punctuated by tall, spiky cypress trees and peach orchards, cornfields and vineyards. Development has been largely kept under control here, and the whole place has a relaxed, traditional atmosphere even amid the more modern buildings.
Badly damaged in the War of Independence, İznik has since perked up and offers a welcome retreat for İstanbullus over summer weekends. An increasing number of shops now sell İznik ceramics, but many people still earn their living from either farming or forestry.
The Lefke Gate, part of Nicaea’s city walls.
A number of monuments were erected by the Ottomans in the period between the conquest in 1331 and 1402 when the town was sacked by Timur. Among those that have survived are:
- Haci Özbek Mosque (1333). This mosque was built only three years after the conquest. The portico on the west side of the building was demolished in 1940 to widen the road.
- Green Mosque (Yesil Cami) (1378–1371). The mosque was built for Çandarlı Kara Halil Hayreddin Pasha, the first Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire. It is located near the Lefke Gate on the east side of the town. It was damaged in 1922 during the Greco-Turkish War and restored between 1956 and 1969.
- Nilüfer Hatun Soup Kitchen (Nilüfer Hatun Imareti) (1388). The building was abandoned for many years but was restored in 1955 and is now a museum.
- Süleyman Pasa Madrasa (mid 14th century). This is one of the two surviving madrasas in the town. It was restored in the 19th century and again in 1968.
- Mausoleum of Çandarli Hayreddin Pasa (14th century). The main room contains fifteen sarcophagi. A lower room contains three more sarcophagi including that of Hayreddin Pasa. The mausoleum is located in a cemetery outside the Lefke gate to the east of the town.
- Church of the Koimesis/Dormition (6th–8th century but rebuilt after the 1065 earthquake). This was the only church in the town that was not transformed into a mosque. It was decorated with 11th century Byzantine mosaics of which photographs survive.
- Eşrefzâde Rumi Mosque (15th century). Eşrefzâde Rumi was married to the daughter of Hacı Bayram-ı Veli. He founded a sufi sect and after his death in 1469–70 his tomb became a pilgrimage site. The mosque was decorated with Iznik tiles.
- Seyh Kutbeddin Mosque and Mausoleum (15th century). The mausoleum has been rebuilt.
Nicaea Theatre
Iznik, Turkey,
