Part of İznik's Roman-Byzantine fortifications, the eastern Lefke Gate comprises three gateways dating from Byzantine times. The middle of these bears a Greek inscription that notes it was built by Proconsul Plancius Varus in AD 123. You can climb to the top of the walls here – a good vantage point for inspecting the lie of the land.
Lefke Gate
Western Anatolia
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.12 MILES
İznik's once-imposing Roman walls, renovated by the Byzantines, no longer dominate but parts of their 5km circumference remain impressive. Four main gates…
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0.18 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…
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0.49 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…
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0.15 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…
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0.65 MILES
İznik's most impressive stretch of historic city walls, reaching 10m to 13m in height, stand between this southern gate and the eastern Lefke Gate.
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0.7 MILES
İznik's imposing northern gate, part of the fortified city walls, features huge stone carvings of heads facing outwards.
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0.3 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…
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0.56 MILES
Marked by a towering Turkish flag, İznik's hilltop viewpoint makes a good sunset walk (2km). From here you'll have views of the lake stretching away…
Nearby Western Anatolia attractions
0.12 MILES
İznik's once-imposing Roman walls, renovated by the Byzantines, no longer dominate but parts of their 5km circumference remain impressive. Four main gates…
0.15 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…
0.18 MILES
The restored Şeyh Kutbettin Cami (1492) lies across the road to the south of the İznik Museum.
0.18 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…
0.3 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…
0.32 MILES
Dating from 1332, the centrally located Hacı Özbek Cami is one of İznik's oldest mosques.
0.44 MILES
This sparse area, next door to the II Murat Hamamı, was once the site of Ottoman-era kilns.
0.49 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…