İznik

According to the works of art revealed by the excavations carried out in the area it is assumed that iznik was a site of settlement during the prehistoric times. In the area which remained under the domination of the region of Bithynia from the 10th till the 3rd centuries B.C. the main urbanization began with the increase of the population of the small scale settlements engaged in fishing by the side of the lake in the 3rd century B.C. The city which was rebuilt and thrived under the name of Antigonia in the area taken by Antigonos, of the commanders of the Macedonian King Alexander, subsequently fell under the rule of the Kingdom of Bithynia again. Later, the city came to be called as Nikea because of the temple built in the name of the God of Victory, Nike. The Church of Ayatriponos was constructed upon the remains of the temple of Nikea in the city which became the metropolitan center during the Byzantine age. The 7th Council of Christianity convened in Nikea in 723. Towards late 7th century the city which was besieged by the Arabs was seized by the Anatolian Seljuks, Crusaders, Latins and Byzantines. In 1204 the iznik-Rome State was established by the Emperor Laskaris. In 1329 it was annexed to the Ottoman lands by Orhan Gazi, In the city situated within the ancient Bithynia remains of tombs dating back to the periods before Christ were recovered. Additionally, the most important work of art is the iznik Castie built on the shore of the iznik Lake in 310 A.D. The castle which was repaired on several occasions during the Byzantine era has 3 gates being the istanbul, Yenisehir and Lefke gates. Further, of the churches dating from the Byzantine era is the Church of Hagia Sophia in basilica form with 3 naves. It was converted into the Mosque of Ayasofya during the reign of Orhan Bey. The mosque built of brick and stone with a single minaret has a mihrab embellished with plaster coloured in red and white. Its interiors are covered with the famous iznik tiles. It is known that the mosque originally had the floor of the church covered with coloured mosaics and the inner walls embellished with frescoes underneath. The Green Mosque built near the istanbul gate in 1378 has four sections. The wall of the mosque is made of smoothly dressed stones and within the mosque, the two columns with large capitals and the arches connecting the same are marble-faced. The minaret of the mosque of which the mihrab is embellished with tiling is made of brick ornamented with green inlaid tiles. The Church of Ayatriponos and Churches of Koimesis are of the other remains. The iznik Archeological Museum is within the Niluier Hatun Complex of Buildings. The archeological and ethnographic exhibits as recovered in the area are on display in the museum. Turquoise is the dominating colour in the world-famous iznik Tiles. The main ingredients of the glazing consist of the sand called quartz, glass, wheat flour and water. This compound is a mixture of the lead and zinc and metallic oxides produced after grinding and fusing. These are applied with beeswax to the carved motifs of the earth frit and then fired. Further, the fired brick is used after glazing of one face. Through a factory set up in 1718 the tile production, which had been carried out by small workshops in the area, flourished even further and achieved worldwide renown.