It was the capital city of the Seljuks and Byzantine periods, famous for its tiles, and considered one of the important religious centers of Christianity. IznikA great option for a weekend getaway. This beautiful city, which can be reached in just 2 hours from Istanbul via Osmangazi Bridge, has become a frequent destination for photographers, motorcycle groups and daily tours. To see the beauties, history and culture of Iznik, you can also consider making a day trip or a weekend trip to Iznik. For those who plan Iznik; Iznik places to visit, what to eat in Iznik, where and how to get to Iznik and places to see near Iznik my list Iznik travel guide You will find it in this article.
What You Will Find In This Article
About Iznik
Iznik is one of the ancient cities in Anatolia and an open-air museum. The city, which was founded on the shores of Iznik Lake, was the capital city of the Seljuks and Byzantines, and contains many historical and cultural monuments. When Iznik is mentioned, of course, the first thing that comes to mind is Iznik tiles ve Lake Iznik. I will talk about them later in the article, keep reading.
Iznik, is a city that has been an important center for both Christianity and later Seljuk and Ottoman. For this reason, there are many historical monuments, mosques, madrasas and tombs in the city. Some are under the ground, some are waiting for restoration, there are ancient ruins, some of which were victims of bad restoration.
Iznik is the place where a turning point was experienced for Christians during the Roman period. With the First Council organized by Constantine I in 325 AD, Christians met in Iznik to resolve their disagreements. The most important discussion in this council was whether Jesus was a true god. As a result of the council, it was accepted that Jesus had the same essence as God. Later, many councils were held in other places, and in these councils, the decisions that formed the basis of today's Catholic and Orthodox views were taken.
When we came to the Seljuk period, Kutalmışoğlu Süleyman Shah declared Iznik the capital of the Seljuks in 1075. For 22 years, Iznik remained the capital of the Seljuks.
In the Ottoman period, Iznik became a city of art, trade and culture. Especially Iznik tiles experienced their golden period in this period. Iznik tiles began to be used in many mosques and madrasas, and the fame of tiles spread to Europe. tile artIt was registered in the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013.
Iznik, still Places close to Istanbul It is among the must-see places.
How Many Days Are Required to Visit Iznik?
You can spare two days, a weekend, to visit and see many places in and around Iznik, you can see both historical and cultural places and do some activities. If you want to stay longer, there are also alternatives such as nature walks and canoeing on the lake.
Places to Visit in Iznik
When you enter Iznik, your attention will be drawn to the grid-shaped street layout, which you are accustomed to seeing mostly in Europe. This order from the Roman period still continues. The part within the walls of the city was especially planned in accordance with this grid pattern.
Things to do in Iznik Let's take a look at the museums, mosques, bazaars and ruins on the list:
1. Hagia Sophia and Orhan Mosque
At the top of the list of places to visit in Iznik, the old town that greets you in the square when you come to the city center Hagia Sophia Church yeni Orhan Mosque It is coming.
You can go inside and walk around. This building, which is an old church, has again had its share of bad restoration. Although it serves as a mosque, it is very important for Christians, it is thought that the 7th Ecumenical Council was gathered here in 787 AD. For this reason, it is of great spiritual importance for Christians. It is in a strategic position with its location at the intersection of the 4 main gates of the city.
2. Green Mosque
One of the important mosques among the places to visit in Iznik; When you go from Hagia Sophia Mosque to the other direction, not towards the lake, you will come across it. Green Mosque. One of the most defining symbols of Iznik, the mosque welcomes you with its classic turquoise minaret. I also recommend you to go inside the mosque and see the tile work.
3. Nilüfer Hatun Imaret & Iznik Museum
Iznik Museum Nilüfer Hatun Imaret, which serves as the I did not have the opportunity to go inside and tour, I hope I can visit it on my next visit. Nilüfer Hatun is Orhan Gazi's wife, and the soup kitchen was built in her name.
Inside the building, which is used as a museum, artifacts from the Hellenistic period, Roman period, Umayyads and Seljuks are exhibited.
4. Old Iznik Houses and Bazaar
You can see historical buildings and old Iznik houses on the road that continues to the opposite direction of Iznik Lake, next to the Hagia Sophia Mosque, towards Iznik walls, and you can enjoy the road in the shade of monumental trees. You can visit many large and small shops selling famous Iznik tile works.
Iznik Çiniciler Street and Nilüfer Hatun Tile Bazaar are places where you can see a lot of tiles.
While walking from Hagia Sophia Museum to Iznik Bazaar, you will see huge plane trees on both sides. Many of these trees have the status of monumental trees, and you can see their tags when you look at them.
5. Ancient Roman Theater and Roman Ruins
Roman ruins are among the places to visit in Iznik. Especially ancient theaterIt has been standing since the 2nd century, but I don't know how long it will last. It was badly damaged as the stones in the theater were used to build the city's defensive walls. The theater with a capacity of 15.000 people is not open to visitors at the moment. I've been to Iznik many times and I haven't seen the theater open in any of them. It is being closed due to restoration works, I hope it will be opened to visitors soon.
6. Walls and Gates
The old city of Iznik is surrounded by walls, the length of the hexagonal walls is about 5 km. Some of the walls are still quite intact, and some of them have been restored. The walls, which were started to be built in the Hellenistic period, were renewed in the Roman and Byzantine periods and reached today.
The 4 main gates entering Iznik have become the symbols of the city today. The most magnificent surviving gates of the city;
- Istanbul Door: the first walls and the first gate you will see when coming to the city from the direction of Istanbul,
- Lefke Gate; The gate in the north of the city, which is in the best condition at the moment, which I would recommend you to take time to visit,
- Yenisehir Gate,
- Lake Door it is in ruins.
7. Baths
Since Iznik has hosted many civilizations and even been the capital city, there are many baths in the city. You will often come across the baths in the city center, you can enter and tour or enjoy the baths.
Lake Iznik
Lake IznikWith an area of 298 square meters, it is the largest lake in the Marmara Region and the fifth largest in Turkey.
One of the activities that cannot be done without coming to Iznik is going up the hill. Lake Iznik watching the view. Or watching the sunset over Lake Iznik on the lake shore. So, no matter what, watching the view of Lake Iznik from the top or the shore is priceless.
On the nearest hill you will climb to watch Iznik Lake from above, Tomb of Abdulvahap Bannerman exists. When you come out, you will see that many photo groups are waiting with their cameras.
newly discovered in the lake Basilica not visible from the lake shore. I was eager to see if we would see it while we were kayaking on the lake, but the part where the basilica is is surrounded by security strip and it is forbidden to enter. For now, we'll just get by with the photos.
Places to Visit Near Iznik
There are plenty of orchards and olive groves on the shores of Lake Iznik, fruit gardens in bloom in spring, and exquisite orchards full of branches in summer. It would be great if you could see it while you're gone. You can also find traces of history among these gardens.
1. Beştaş (Obelix)
Also known as “Beştaş”, “Nişantaşı” and “Dikilitaş”, this tomb monument is on the old Roman road. It is understood from the Greek inscription on it that it belongs to C. Cassius Philiscus in the XNUMXst century. There used to be an eagle statue on top of this work, which consists of five triangular stones stacked on top of each other, but it is now missing. But I'm not sure if you can find this place without someone who knows.
2. Inikli Village
When you climb up from the city to see Iznik Lake from the top, The most beautiful villages of Iznik located between; You will first reach Elbeyli and then Inikli Village. These are old Ottoman Villages. Currently, there are 10-11 houses under protection in Inikli Village, but many houses have been left to be demolished. Still, the villagers believe that this place will be as popular as Cumalıkızık 🙂
3. Keramet Village Ilica
Keramet Village Spa is one of the most popular places to visit in Iznik. When you see the Keramet Village sign on the way from Iznik to Yalova, enter and you will be greeted by a natural hot spring. You can swim in the natural pool in the form of a hot water pool in summer and winter.
4. Historical Kösem Sultan (Valide Sultan) Bridge – Karamürsel
On the way back from Iznik to Istanbul, if you take the Blue-Green road instead of following the main road, very beautiful mountain roads await you. While going from Iznik towards Bursa, you can reach this road if you continue towards Karamürsel from Boyalıca Village. If you want, this road connects you to the Orhangazi Bridge road again. The road passes through nursery gardens, lush fields and farmhouses. If you are hungry, Köfteci Nurettin is a steakhouse where you can take a break on the way. Just after you pass Köfteci Nurettin, a renovated stone bridge will greet you on your left. This bridge is estimated to be from the 17th century. This bridge is one of the many structures built by Kösem Sultan within the borders of the Ottoman Empire. The 64-meter-long bridge was built with three eyes and pointed arches.
Also, if you have more time;
- You can take a walk in Sansarak Canyon.
- You can see the mosque of Elmalı Village, which was built without nails in 1884.
List of Places to Visit in Iznik
You can see more of the places above as a list of places to visit in Iznik below.
- Lake Iznik
- Sansarak Canyon
- Merchant Canyon
- Hagia Sophia Museum and Mosque
- Roman Ancient Theater
- Five stones
- Historical Doors
- Berberkaya Grave Monument
- Stone bridge
- Green Mosque
- Sheikh Kutbettin Mosque
- Esrefzade Mosque
- Haci Ozbek Mosque
- Mahmut Celebi Mosque
- Yakup Çelebi Lodge and Tomb
- Kizgizlar Tomb
- Sari Saltuk Tomb
- Davud-el Kayseri Tomb
- Alaadin-i Misri Tomb
- Çandarlı Halil Hayreddin Pasha Tomb
- Ashraf Baba Tomb
- Suleyman Pasha Madrasa
- II. Murat Bath
- Meydan Bath
- Iznik Museum
- Hayrettin Pasha Madrasa
- Orhan Gazi Turkish Bath
Touristic Map of Places to Visit in Iznik
You can see my suggestions for places to visit in Iznik above on the map below:
What to Eat and Where to Eat in Iznik?
Iznik is a city where you can eat delicious meat, fish, fruit and vegetables with the advantage of being on the lake shore and its climate. I thought I would share a few places where I went to Iznik and got up from the table happily.
Kofteci Yusuf Usta
What to eat in Iznik famous for saying Yusuf Usta and his meatballs income. Although it now has branches in many places in Turkey, you should definitely enjoy the meatballs and bread kadaif with cream at its original place in the center of Iznik. There are people who even go to Iznik just to eat meatballs, don't say they didn't say it 🙂
You can eat all kinds of butcher products except meatballs, and you can buy them to take home.
Place of Sharlo Mustafa
You can have a fish feast with the carp and catfish extracted from the lake. There are many restaurants with gardens along the way on the South and North shores of the lake, if you have time, you should definitely try it. Çakırca Village on the coast The place of Sharlo Mustafa It can be one of the places you prefer to eat fish. There are also pita options for those who say they don't eat fish.
Olive
Olive has been one of the symbols of health and taste in Anatolia for thousands of years. You can see the richest olive groves in the Marmara Region in Iznik. You can buy olives and olive oil grown in the region. We supply the olive needs of the house from Iznik.
What to Buy in Iznik? What Is Iznik Famous For?
If you ask what to buy in Iznik, what is Iznik famous for, there are tiles and olives that must be mentioned.
Iznik Tile
Of course, the first thing that comes to mind when Iznik is mentioned tile making income. Iznik is one of the important centers of the Ottoman tile tradition. Thanks to this tradition that still continues, when you come to Iznik, you can stop by the tile workshops where beautiful products are made in the bazaar, and you can buy yourself and/or your loved ones tiled plates, jewelry and many other products.
Olives and Olive Oil
Another richness of Iznik is olives. Olives and olive oil obtained from olive trees grown around Lake Iznik are among the best olive products in Turkey. While you are here, I definitely recommend you to buy olives and olive oil. If you ask where to buy olive or olive oil, we bought it from Nicaea, the photo of which is below. They have a shop 100 meters from the Hagia Sophia Museum, they also have internet sales.
Woodworking
If you want to buy the olive, walnut, cherry trees of Iznik, and the wooden products made in Iznik, you can choose the products made by our dear İnci and Ceren's own hands. ekinoXartYou can visit .
Although it is not well known, weaving and silk carpet production are still among the handicrafts in Iznik.
What to do in Iznik?
Lake Iznik promises many activities that can be done on the lake. Canoe is one of them. Canoeing in the lake, which is mostly still and has reeds on its shores, is one of the most beautiful activities to do here. in 2017 Iznik Canoe Festival We went and had a lot of fun.
There are plenty of tea gardens, hotels and restaurants on the lake shore. You can picnic, camp, enjoy the lake view. Also, the sunset at Lake Iznik is magnificent.
You can also go hiking or camping in Sansarak Canyon with a length of 8 kilometers or Tacir Canyon with a length of 17 kilometers, located near Iznik. For those who love nature activities and adventure, canyon crossings will be quite fun.
Iznik Ultra Marathon
So what did we forget? The Iznik Ultra Marathon, which has been held since 2012. Iznik Ultra Marathon, one of the biggest international marathons in Turkey. Hundreds of local and foreign runners run the route suitable for their performance at different lengths, intertwined with history and nature, in April every year. It is run on tracks of different lengths, the longest being 160 kilometers and the shortest 10 kilometers public race.
Even though we did not run in 2019, we were there to support our running friends and live the spirit there.
Where is Iznik?
Where is Iznik The answer is simple; On the 97th kilometer of the Istanbul - Bursa road, when you turn east from the shore of Iznik Lake, continue along the lake shore for another 40 kilometers, the road will take you to Iznik.
- Distance from Iznik to Istanbul is 140 kilometersIf you use the Osmangazi Bridge, you can reach it in 2 hours.
- The distance between Iznik and Bursa is about 80 kilometers. and it takes 1 hour.
How to go to Iznik?
If you are traveling from Istanbul with your own vehicle, there are several ways to get to Iznik.
- It is very pleasant to go from Pendik to Yalova by ferry and take the mountain road called the Blue-Green Road, wandering through the greenery among the villages.
- You can take the ferry from Pendik to Yalova, continue on the Bursa road and return from Orhangazi.
- By using the newly built Osmangazi Bridge, you can cross the bay and head towards Iznik from Orhangazi.
My preference was to use this mountain road when going, and to use the main line with Bursa connection on the way back. Everyone is free to choose their own path. There are places to see separately on both sides of the road. The choice is yours 🙂 While a small waterfall and a cute village greet you on the mountain road, if you take the main road, you can turn a little inland and stop by Keramet Hot Springs, which is a natural hot water pool.
Don't forget to follow my social media accounts to be informed about my new posts and for more photos and videos!
- Instagram: cokokuyancoktraveler
- Youtube: cokokuyancoktraveler
Stay on the Road
5 Comments
Sansarak Canyon, Elmalı Village Mosque, Ömerli Village Houses, Lake View of Göllüce Village, Köfteci Yusuf, these should not be forgotten.
Many thanks for the additions.
I went to Iznik yesterday, I've been before, years ago, but it has changed a lot, it's 40 minutes away from Istanbul, it's like an open-air museum, it's like an open-air museum anyway, 100.000 foreign tourists a year only stay in their hotels. He collected 3 apartments, villas, hotels, he was going to build hotels all over the place.
Iznik is really beautiful. You explained it very well too @
Apdulvahap sanjaktari esrefi rumi walls, byzantine waterway and ramparts should also be seen