Discovering Iznik, Iznik, Turkey

I doubt that any of my readers have heard of Íznik before, let alone included it on their real or potential itineraries around Türkiye. When people think about Turkish destinations beyond Istanbul, what comes to mind is Cappadocia, the Turquoise Coast, or maybe Safranbolu or Pamukkale. Hardly ever anything in the Marmara region of the country.

But all of those great destinations require non-trivial travel from Istanbul, and I did not want to introduce additional flights into my plans. Instead, I rented a car for a couple of days of driving around Marmara, with Bursa as the main destination. Initially, I was thinking of circumnavigating the Marmara Sea, which would allow me to visit Gallipoli and Troy, but that would require me to spend roughly five times as much on driving as I would on sightseeing. I eventually sensibly pared down my plans, extending my stay in Bursa and including a half-day stop in Íznik.

Which happens to be nominated for this year’s World Heritage inscription. The town has a relatively illustrious history going back to Roman times, it was a capital of a couple of pre-Ottoman political entities, and it has been a center of tile production for several centuries. Getting another tick on my WH roster – even in a delayed fashion – certainly elevated Íznik’s profile for my plans. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).