Iznik Nicaea Heritage Tour from Istanbul Councils Lake Basilica

Visit the historic Hagia Sophia of Nicaea, one of the city’s most important Christian monuments and traditionally associated with the Second Council of Nicaea in AD 787. Discover its transformation through Byzantine and Ottoman periods while learning about Nicaea’s role in early Christianity.

Explore the remains of Nicaea’s impressive Roman theatre and discover another layer of the city’s long history. Your guide will explain how the ancient settlement developed from the Roman period through Byzantine times.

Visit this remarkable Ottoman building commissioned in the 14th century and today serving as a museum. Its collections and architecture offer an insight into Iznik’s transition from Byzantine Nicaea to an important Ottoman cultural centre.

Discover the extraordinary Early Christian basilica uncovered beneath the waters of Lake Iznik in 2014. Visit the archaeological site, museum and viewing platform while learning about ongoing research into the basilica and its place in the early Christian history of Nicaea.

See sections of Nicaea’s monumental defensive walls and the historic Istanbul Gate. These impressive fortifications reveal the strategic importance of the city through Roman and Byzantine history.

Historic tile firing kilns illustrating traditional Iznik ceramic production and Ottoman decorative arts.

Discover the artistic heritage that made Iznik ceramics famous throughout the Ottoman world. Learn about traditional production techniques, designs and the historic kilns that once supplied tiles for some of the empire’s greatest monuments.