City Walls & Gates

Western Anatolia


İznik's once-imposing Roman walls, renovated by the Byzantines, no longer dominate but parts of their 5km circumference remain impressive. Four main gates still transect the walls, while remains of 12 minor gates and 114 towers also stand.

The most impressive chunk of fortifications, still soaring between 10m and 13m in height, can be seen in the southeastern section between Lefke Gate and the southern Yenişehir Gate. Lefke Gate itself is interesting for its three Byzantine gateways.

İstanbul Gate, the ancient city's northern entrance, is the most impressive. Note the decorative features of carved stone heads facing outwards. Göl Gate has little left of its entranceway, nor does the minor Saray Gate, but it's photogenically situated over a quiet country lane set between olive groves and poplars. It's named this because Sultan Orhan (r 1326–61) had a palace (saray) nearby. İznik's ruined Roman Theatre is on the route between Atatürk Caddesi and the Saray Gate.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Western Anatolia attractions

1. Lefke Gate

0.12 MILES

Part of İznik's Roman-Byzantine fortifications, the eastern Lefke Gate comprises three gateways dating from Byzantine times. The middle of these bears a…

2. Yeşil Cami

0.21 MILES

Built between 1378 and 1387 under Sultan Murat I, Yeşil Cami has Seljuk Turkish proportions, influenced by the Seljuk homeland of Iran. The minaret's…

3. Church of the Koimesis

0.21 MILES

Scant foundations remain of the church that was once famous as the burial place of the Byzantine emperor Theodore I (Lascaris). Built around 800 and…

4. Şeyh Kutbettin Cami

0.22 MILES

The restored Şeyh Kutbettin Cami (1492) lies across the road to the south of the İznik Museum.

5. İznik Museum

0.23 MILES

İznik's museum is housed in a soup kitchen that Sultan Murat I built for his mother, Nilüfer Hatun, in 1388. Born a Byzantine princess, Nilüfer was given…

6. Hacı Özbek Cami

0.31 MILES

Dating from 1332, the centrally located Hacı Özbek Cami is one of İznik's oldest mosques.

8. Aya Sofya

0.47 MILES

Originally a great Justinian church, Aya Sofya (Church of the Divine Wisdom) is now a mosque surrounded by a rose garden. The building encompasses ruins…