Iznik is a historical town with lots of medieval mosques and Byzantine monuments. Once called Nicaea, the small town on the shore of Lake Iznik is famous for its glazed porcelain, tiles and china wares. Together with Kutahya, they formed the core of Turkey's tile and porcelain industry. Nowadays, most of the decorative ceramic and glazed tiles production activities have been shifted to Kutahya; only a few independent workshops selling hand-painted Iznik tiles remain in the centre of Iznik. There is a small museum set up by the Iznik Tiles Foundation, near the shore of the Lake of Iznik, dedicated to the preservation and development of the art of tile painting in the area.
Iznik has had a glorious past. It was one of the most important cities of the Byzantine Empire. It was also an important religious centre, the seat of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea, the birthplace of the Nicene Creed, and a former interim capital of the Byzantine Empire between 1204 and 1261 during the upheaval caused by the Fourth Crusade.
Hence symbolic religious buildings are among the top attractions of this small lakeside town. The photo above is the church of Hagia Sophia, a 6th century building in the centre of Iznik built by Emperor Justinian I and modelled after the famous Hagia Sophia in the then Constantinople. This was also the place where the Second Council of Nicaea was held in AD 787 to discuss the issues of iconography within the Church.
Another important Byzantine landmark is the impressive 3km long ancient City Wall, which surrounded the entire city centre and stretched all the way to the shore of Lake Iznik.
The Ottoman conquest of 1331 brought about the onset of the tile and pottery-making industry in the area, as tile workers from former Persia were resettled in both Iznik and Kutahya. Hand-painted colorful tiles produced during this period were used to adorn the walls and interiors of the grand public buildings and mosques in Istanbul and elsewhere of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans also left behind several beautiful mosques, Turkish baths, Ottoman era tombs, etc. during their rule. While some of which have now been converted into museums or other public buildings, the most symbolic of these religous buildings, the Green Mosque, still serves as a place of worship.
Each mosque in Iznik has a long and unique history. The little town is worth spending a day visiting the various historical sights and a few hours wandering around the lake.
Above is the famous Green Mosque, with a minaret decorated with colorful Iznik tiles. Too bad this photo could not show off the true brillance of these tiels, as when I was there, the weather was atrocious.
During the summer, Iznik is a good place for those seeking to escape the heat and the dust of Istanbul and nearby Bursa. There are 3-4 hotels in Iznik, 3 of which are opened throughout the year. In winter, the town became somehat more subdued, but the good thing about Iznik is, it is not a tourist town living off tourism, hence one could experience the genuine atmosphere of life in a small turkish town, no matter which time of the year you are there.
Copyrights@2010. All Rights Reserved. All text and photos by YC Cheng.
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