| Period or Event | Time-Frame | Overview |
| ~2500 BC | Mounds: Karadin, Çiçekli, Yügücek and Çakirca reveal Iznik’s history begins at ~2500 BC. | |
| Helikare | The settlement was known as Helikare before the arrival of Thracian immigrants. | |
| Thracian Immigration | 7th Cent BC | |
| Phrygian Renovation | 4th Cent BC | The settlement became known as Antigoneia following its renovation by the Phrygian Governor of the Macedonian Kingdom. |
| Lysimachus’ Capture | After 332 BC | After the death of Alexander the Great, Antigoneia was captured by Lysimachus, the ex-governor of Thrace, and its name was changed to Nicaea. The name Nicaea was ascribed to Lysimachus’ wife Nike. |
| Bithynian Capture | 293 BC | The Bythinian Kingdom annexed Nicaea. Great architecture arose in the city and it became home to a gold coin mint, thus earning it the nickname of Golden City. |
| Earthquake | 123 AD | An earthquake devastated Nicaea. |
| Roman Capture | The Romans battled the Bithynian Kingdom for many years before capturing the capital Nicaea and reconstructing it. The city at this point was surrounded by 4,970 kilometer city walls and had 4 main and 12 subordinate gates. | |
| Christianity | The Apostle St. Peter introduced Iznik to Christianity. Roman Emperor Constantine I abolished all prohibitions relating to Christianity. | |
| 1st Ecumenical Council | 325 AD | The 1st Ecumenical Council gathered in the palace at Iznik in the presence of Roman Emperor Constantine I. One of the subjects at hand was the debate between Alexandrian priest Arius’ thesis and that of the bishops. Arius held that Jesus Christ was not eternal and was subordinate to God the Gather. The bishops’ view was that Jesus Christ was one of substance with God the Father. After much debate the latter view was accepted and the Council formulated Nicene Creed and 20 canons as well as agreed on the date of Easter. |
| 7th Ecumenical Council | 787 AD | The 7th Ecumenical Council was held in the Asasofya Church at Iznik. |
| Prohibitions Lifted | 8th Cent AD | Empress Irene lifts prohibitions on paintings and statues. |
| Ottoman Capture | 1331 | The Ottomans commanded by Orhan Gazi captured Iznik and it became an art, ceramic, tile, trade and culture hub. The Ottoman Period’s first mosque, madrasa and soup kitchen were all constructed in Iznik in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. Famous Sufis including Davud-u Kayseri, Ebul Fadil Musa and Esrefoglu Abdullah Rumi lived in Iznik. |
In antiquity, Iznik was a settlement important for its prolific ceramics industry. In 1331 Iznik became part of the Ottoman Empire; from the mid-14th to the end of the 17th century it was the Turks most successful and vital ceramics production center in Anatolia. Iznik’s earliest ceramics were produced under Seljuk influence, vessels of red clay and glazed with a single color. Tiles of the Seljuk period are decorated with mosaic, tinted glaze and compositions of yellow, turquoise, white rumi and palmetto on underglaze, usually with a dark blue background.
| Ceramics | Time-Frame | Overview |
|---|---|---|
| Miletus Ware | Late 14th – Early 15th Cent | Mainly plates and bowls from coarse red clay. Coloration is dark blue, turquoise, purple and cobalt blue on a white slip. Designs are simple, often radial lines, geometric design, vegetal motifs and/or animal figures. These vessels were erroneously titled Miletus Ware although their production was later traced to Iznik. |
| Blue & White Ware | Late 15th – Early 16th Cent | Tiles and vessels made of fine, hard, white clay and decorated in different shades of blue on transparent underglaze. Hexagonal form was used, particular in early tiles. |
| Golden Horn Ware | 1530s-1550s | Variation of Blue & White Ware. |
| Blue & White Ware with Turquoise |
Early-Mid 16th Cent | Turquoise used together with blue. |
| Damascus Ware | 1540-1550 | Green and purple use for the first time, together with cobalt blue and turquoise. Precursor to use of many colors. |
| Polychrome Ware | Mid 16th – End of 17th Cent | The longest and most successful period, Polychrome Ware was made of hard white clay with designs in soft green and coral red on a lustrous transparent underglaze. |
| Period or Event | Time-Frame | Overview |
| Construction | 1388 | The Nilüfer Hatun Soup Kitchen was Built by Sultan Murat I in memory of his mother Nilüfer Hatun. It was the first soup kitchen built with a reverse T-shaped plan. |
|---|---|---|
| End of Soup Kitchen | Late 19th Cent | |
| Greek Destruction | The Greek occupation largely destroyed the structure during the Independence War. | |
| Restoration | 1960 | The structure was restored in 1960 and re-opened as a museum. |
| Period or Event | Time-Frame | Overview |
| Construction | Constructed by the Emperor Justinian over the ruins of a former church dating back to the 4th century. | |
|---|---|---|
| 7th Ecumenical Council | 787 AD | The 7th Ecumenical Council was held here. |
| Earthquake | 11th Cent | Demolished by an earthquake. |
| Reconstruction | Rebuilt in the shape of a basilica with three naves. | |
| Ottoman Conquest | 1331 | After the conquest of Iznik by Orhan Gazi, the basilica shaped church was made into a mosque. |
| Expansion | Under the reign of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, the mosque was expanded with a minaret on the front and its walls were decorated by the famous architect Sinan. | |
| Period or Event | Time-Frame | Overview |
| Construction | 1378-1392 | A single-domed mosque built by the architect Haci Musa. Requested by Halil Hayrettin Pasha. |
|---|---|---|
| Period or Event | Time-Frame | Overview |
| Construction | 1333 | The oldest Ottoman mosque in Iznik. Built of hewn stone and brick with a square plan and no minaret, with a dome that is 8m in diameter and covered with roof tiles. |
|---|---|---|
| Period or Event | Time-Frame | Overview |
| Construction | 1442 | Mahmut Çelebi, a grandson of Hayrettin Pasha, had this mosque built in th district centre. It has a single dome and a minaret. There is an inscription over the entry gate. |
|---|---|---|
| Period or Event | Time-Frame | Overview |
| Construction | 15th Cent AD | Ibrahim Pasha, a vizier of Sultan Bayezi II, requested the construction of this mosque and tomb for Sheik Seyh Kudbettin. Only the minaret of the mosque survives. |
|---|---|---|
| Period or Event | Time-Frame | Overview |
| Construction | 14th Cent | Constructed by Yakup Çelebi, the younger brother of Yildirim Bayezid. There is a single domed tomb in the garden. The tomb of Takup Çelebi is not in this tomb but in the tomb of Murad I in Bursa. |
|---|---|---|
| Tomb | Overview |
|---|---|
| Yakup Çelebi Dervish Lodge and Tomb | |
| Seyh Kudbetting Mosque and Tomb | |
| Esref-i Rumî Mosque and Tomb | |
| Kirgizlar Tomb | |
| Sari Saltuk Tomb | |
| Çandarli Hayrettin Pasa Tomb | |
| Çandarli Ibrahim Pasa Tomb and Soup Kitchen |
|
| Çabdarku Halil Pasa Tomb | |
| Huysuzlar Tomb | |
| Ahiveyn Sultan Tomb | |
| Abdülvahap Sancaktari Tomb | |
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