Nicaea (İznik) – where the Creed was born

Every Christian who says the Creed speaks a piece of Nicaea. In 325 Emperor Constantine summoned the bishops to this town on Lake Askania; in 787 the seventh council met here over images. Today İznik is a quiet small town inside its Roman walls, famous for the tiles that adorn the mosques of Istanbul. We leave your hotel in the morning, cross the bridge over the Gulf of İzmit and are back in the evening.

Highlights

• Site of the first ecumenical councils of 325 and 787
• Hagia Sophia of Nicaea: church of the seventh council
• The sunken basilica in the lake, discovered from the air in 2014
• Roman city walls with the Istanbul and Lefke gates
• İznik tiles: workshop and museum of the famous ceramics
• Vehicle with driver from and to your hotel in Istanbul

Full description

Nicaea was one of the most important cities of Bithynia. Here in 325 the bishops, against Arius, confessed that the Son is "of one substance with the Father" and set the date of Easter. In the Hagia Sophia of Nicaea, today the Orhan Mosque, the council of 787 restored the veneration of images. Off the lakeshore lies an early Christian basilica under water, visible from the shore on calm days.

After Constantinople fell to the Crusaders in 1204, Nicaea was the capital of the Byzantine Empire in exile for almost sixty years. Later the town became the centre of Ottoman ceramics: the blue-and-white and red tiles of İznik adorn the Blue Mosque and Topkapı Palace. We visit a workshop that works with old recipes, the Green Mosque and the museum in the soup kitchen of Nilüfer Hatun.

For you this means: you book guiding and vehicle in one step at a fixed total price and are picked up at your hotel.

What we see

We adapt order and selection to weekday, opening hours, weather and your wishes.

• 1 · Departure in Istanbul
  Pick-up at your hotel, drive over the Osmangazi Bridge to İznik (approx. 2 hrs 30 min).
• 2 · City walls and Istanbul Gate
  Roman-Byzantine walls, gates and towers.
• 3 · Hagia Sophia of Nicaea
  Church of the council of 787, frescoes and floor remains.
• 4 · Sunken basilica by the lake
  View from the shore of the basilica under water; reflections on the Creed of 325.
• 5 · İznik ceramics
  Workshop, Green Mosque and İznik Museum.
• 6 · Return to Istanbul
  Arrival at your hotel in the evening.

Included

• Private, state-licensed tour guide in your language (Mehmet Humayunoğlu or an experienced colleague from his team)
• Vehicle with driver from and to your hotel in Istanbul, full day
• Planning, coordination and time management of the day

Not included

• Entrance fees (museum, workshop if applicable)
• Lunch, drinks, shopping
• Personal expenses, tips

Meeting point

We pick you up in the morning at your hotel in Istanbul and bring you back there in the evening.

You will recognise me by the sign “MeinReiseleiter.de” and the visibly worn guide licence. We confirm meeting point and time with your booking.

Important information

German, English, Turkish, French, Italian, Spanish – 25 more languages on request.

• Long drive – About 2 hrs 30 min each way; we plan breaks.
• Clothing – In the Orhan Mosque and the Green Mosque please cover shoulders and knees; women a headscarf.
• For churches and Bible groups – We are happy to plan a reading of the Creed by the lake – please note it under "Your wishes".