Bursa İznik(Nicaea) Walking Tour

İznik is a municipality and district of Bursa Province, Turkey. Its area is 753 km2,[3] and its population is 44,236 (2022).The town is at the site of the ancient Greek city of Nicaea, from which the modern name derives. The town lies in a fertile basin at the eastern end of Lake İznik, with ranges of hills to the north and south. As the crow flies, the town is only 90 kilometres (56 miles) southeast of Istanbul but by road it is 200 km (124 miles) around the Gulf of İzmit. It is 80 km (50 miles) by road from Bursa.

İznik has been a district centre of the province of Bursa since 1930 but belonged to the district of Kocaeli between 1923 and 1927. It was a township of Yenişehir (connected to Bilecik before 1926) district between 1927 and 1930.

Ancient Nicaea was ringed with walls that still survive to this day despite having been pierced in many places for roads. Inside the walls stands the Ayasofya Mosque where the First Council of Nicaea was held in A.D. 325.