|
Nicaea (Iznik) remained in a leading role in the pages of history for thousands of
years. It is a unique city which hosted capitals of four empires. Every piece of land is steeped with the residue of centuries old
cultures. Iznik is one of the townships of the Province of Bursa. It is
located on the eastern bank of the lake of the same name. ln the tumuli found around Iznik and villages such as
Karadin, Çiçekli, Üğucek and Çakırca, footprints of civilizations can be traced back to 2500 B.C. Settlements established
prior
to the migration of the Thracians in the 7th century B.C. were named “Helikare.” The name
Khryseapolis, meaning “Golden City” is still visible on gold coins minted in the ancient city during this
period. The city was reconstructed by one of Alexander the Great’s
generals, Antigonos in 316 B.C. and named after him as “Antigoneia.”
However, in 301 B.C hostilities between two generals of Alexander the Great resulted in
war. Antigonos was defeated by Lysimakhos and lost his life. Now the master of the
city, Lysimakhos named the city “
Nicaea
” after his
wife, who was the beautiful daughter of Antipatros. Yet, between the years 278 and 277 B.C. Galatian raids damaged the
city. Upon the death of Nikomedes III in 74 B.C.,
the city became a part of the
Roman Empire
as was his last wish on his deathbed. Subsequently Nicaea went on to become one of the most important cities of Roman Empire, and there was competition between Nikomedia (Izmit) and Nicaea over which one was to become the
Capital of the State.During the era of Emperor Traianus (98-117 B.C.) the governor of Bithynia (proconsul) Plinius completed the construction of the theatre which had been ongoing for a Iong time.
The city was demolished by an earthquake in 123 B.C., and was rebuilt by the order of Emperor Hadrianus. In 259 A.D. disaster struck, Goths invaded and left the city in ruins. This time Emperor Cladius Gothicus was the person to order the renovation of
Nicaea. In the period of Emperor Constantinus’s rule, Christianity was introduced to the region by the Bithynian apostle Petrus. The summer of 325 A.D. witnessed an important event in the history of Christendom when the First
Council met in the
Senate
Palace
under the chairmanship of Emperor
Constantinus. There were two main issues discussed during this momentous
meeting. First, it was discussed that Christ was a humble human being, not the son of the
Almighty. This thesis was supported by Arius; a theologian
from
Alexandria
and found considerable support though most bishops disagreed with this
conjecture. There followed projected discussions dealing with the dissertation of Christ being the son of the
Divinity. This latter theory being adopted as church dogma. The dates of the Christian festivals and the
20-article text known as Nicaean Creed were put into application after this Council
meeting. Earthquakes struck in the years 358, 362 and 368 A.D.
respectively, and ruined many of the monumental structures. Emperor Valentinianus of Byzantine gave the title of Metropolis to
Nicaea
in the year 364 A.D. In the 7th century, Arab armies on their way to Constantinople besieged
Nicaea.
|
|
Emperor Leon
III. and Constantinius V. utilised the
stone from the theatre to strengthen the city walls and Arab troops were defeated at
Akronion, saving
Nicaea
from
invasion. The 7th Council took place in the Nicaea Hagia Sofia Church in 787
A.D.and was led by Empress Irene,
who put an end to the Iconoclastic Era lifting the ban imposed on the painting and sculpting of sacred
images.The rebellious commander of Michael VI.Komnenos attacked Iznik in 1056,and later went on to invade
Constantinople.
Earthquakes caused heavy damage in
Nicaea
in the years 1063 and 1065 AD. In the year
1071 after the Battle of Malazgirt Selçuk Süleyman Shah became the
commander of the city. The territory was ruled by the Selçuks and Iznik became the capital once
again. The First Crusaders, commanded by Godfrey de Bouillon, attacked the
city in 1097. The battle, which was supported by the Byzantines, lasted 37 days with the Selçuks being forced to
vacate the city on
June 26th, 1097. In 1204, the 4th Crusade captured the Constantinople
administration which was at that time the capital of
Byzantium. Iznik became the possession of “Louis de Blois.” However, Emperor Teodoros I, who was expelled from
Constantinople, attacked him and the Crusaders and once
again, Iznik was became a capital, this time the capital city of Byzantium |
|
The city walls was erected by Dukas Vatatzes between the
years 1222-54. On
March 2nd, 1331
Orhan Gazi directed his Ottoman troops to enter the city from the Yenişehir Gate after a prolonged
siege. In 1402. Tamerlane’s army, which was marching west, invaded Ottoman territories following Yıldırım Bayezid’s defeat during the battle of
Ankara. Iznik was devastated once
more. During the reign of the Ottomans,Iznik was the heart of fine arts, culture and
trade. Most eminent scientists and theologists lectured at Orhangazi Medresesi (School
of
Theology).Philosophers
Davud-u
Kayseri, Ebul Fadıl Musa, Eşrefoğlu Abdullah Rumi chose to settle in Iznik where they spread their creative
genius.
Iznik is known as the city where the first Ottoman mosque, university and cultivation were
built. During the l4th and l5th centuries, the Çandarlı family of the Grand Vizier of the
Ottoman Empire, brought prosperity to the
city. Iznik was renown throughout
the old world for its enamel ware and ceramics during
the l6th century. The 17th and 18th centuries were the
times when Iznik somehow drifted away from the fair
winds of the past, losing its importance |
