Daily
Tour to the ancient town of Nicaea passing from Yenisehir Plain "An
agricultural town" close to Bursa... A daily tour to the
ancient City İznik... Signs of civilization from Alexander The Great’s
time, the city was first founded by his General Antigonos in 316 BC...
Signs from Bithynia, Roman period, Byzantium, Seljuk Turks and Ottomans...
A town full of history with its monuments, city walls, museums and
wonderful nature near the lake... The center of ceramics and pottery in
Ottoman Time...The famous Council Church...All famous places are in
walking distance in iznik
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IZNIK
(NICAEA): Nicaea, an important
city of the Hellenistic-Roman Kingdom of Bithynia, was founded in the 4C
BC by the Macedonian King Antigonus I and was later expanded by King
Lysimachus. Lying astride busy trade routes to Galatia and Phrygia, Nicaea
flourished as a commercial and cultural center. The
city achieved fame as the site of two ecumenical councils in the Byzantine
period and later for its tiles during the Ottoman Empire.
Councils of Nicaea: The two councils of Nicaea were ecumenical councils of the Christian church held in 325 and 787, respectively. The First Council of Nicaea, the first ecumenical council held by the church, is best known for its formulation of the Nicene Creed, the earliest dogmatic statement of Christian orthodoxy. The council also made explicit the relationship between the emperor and the Church: he was head of the Church as well as head of the state. The council was convened in 325 by the Roman Emperor Constantine I.
The Second Council of Nicaea, the seventh ecumenical council of the Christian church, was convoked by the Byzantine Empress Irene in 787 to rule on the use of saints' images and icons in religious devotion. At that time a strong movement known as Iconoclasm, which opposed the pictorial representation of saints or of the Trinity, existed in the Greek church. Prompted by Irene, the council declared that whereas the veneration of images was legitimate and the intercession of saints efficacious, their veneration must be carefully distinguished from the worshipping of God alone.
| Perfection
of İznik tiles are clearly seen on the tile glazing of the
buildings which the date of construction can be determined.
The Gereen Mosque in İznik was built between 1378 and
1391. The halycon days of İznik tile making was between 16th -17th century. From the historical documents we conceive that the tiles used in İstanbul were the product of İznik. The origin of the tiles classified under the names of Milet, Damascus and Rhodes are also İznik. Evliya Çelebi, who visited İznik in the 17th century, in his travel book documents that there were more than 300 tile furnaces in the city. Blue, turquoise and Edirne red are the most used colors on the motives of human, bird, fish, rabbit, dog, boat, tulip, carnation, hyacintus and pomegranate. Archeolojist Prof. Dr. Oktay Aslanapa and Dr. Bedri Yalman unveiled most precious details and particulars about İznik tile making. In the excavation area between Hagia Sophia Church and Hacı Hamza Hamamı and the theatre some tile furnaces and very important tile, ceramic and furnace artifacts are founded and actually, excavations continue. |
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