After two days in Bursa, a daytrip to Iznik rounded out the
out-of-Istanbul portion of the trip’s first half. Founded well before the Byzantine conquest,
the small city was first known as Nicaea and – in our classroom – for two things:
tile work and hosting the evicted Byzantines during the Latin occupation of
Constantinople between 1204 and 1261.
Another important aspect of the city’s existence was that it hosted the
first and seventh Ecumenical Councils.
The location for the latter was our first tour stop.
Haghia Sophia
Named for “The Holy Wisdom” like its Istanbul counterpart,
this former cathedral was built in 1065 following an earthquake that destroyed
the original. Today, after much
consternation, it acts as a heritage site and a mosque. Though we were the only group to visit early
in the morning, we were followed by a large group of Turkish grade schoolers
that were more interested in it than the majority of our Moroccan
classmates. Much smaller than many of
the sites we’ve visited up to this point, the Haghia Sophia was also the most
ruinous.
Gravel covers most of the indoor space, and a recent wooden
roof straddles the historic walls; poly-glass cutouts float in most of the
circular windows. To me, this was one of
the most disappointing sites because the disparity between its historical
importance and remnants. Both councils
were huge events for Christianity; however, nothing relating to them remains or
was mentioned at the site. Instead, an
unneeded mihrab faces toward Mecca
atop a makeshift wooden floor. Outside,
a peaceful park surrounded three of the structure’s sides and created the most
serine environment that I sat through in any of the three cities visited.
Constantine’s Gate
Our second site was the northern – and main – gate to the
city. Still predominantly surrounded by
the three kilometers of the original walls, the city has at least four main
entrances and many axillaries.
Constantine’s Gate was aptly named after the emperor whom first traveled
through it when he entered the lakeside city.
Today, the wall’s are in ruins, but most of the gate still stands
firmly. Niches for statues on each side
of the road and two carvings of what appear to be Medusa heads greet entrants
to the city.
Roman Theater
The pre-Byzantine 2nd-Century Roman Theater was
the third stop on our tour; however, the locale built by Roman Emperor Trajanus
was closed and a couple of photographs through the green fence were all that
could be salvaged before going to lunch.
Haci Özbek Camii (Haji Ozbek Mosque)
Built in 1332, this small Seljuk mosque was the smallest
visited through a week’s worth of traveling.
With no minaret and only one rectangular room hosting a light blue
marble mihrab and wooden minbar, this mosque personified the
simple nature of most mosques worldwide.
Eşrefzade Abdullah Rumi Mosque
The third mosque visited was dedicated to the son of Rumi,
one of the first Sufi mystiques in Turkey.
The mosque described the son as, “educated by some of the best-known
scholars of the period…His fame as a mystic spread far beyond the confines of
Iznik, and he was also well-known as the founder of Esreffiye section, a branch
of Kadiriye…He died around 1469-70.”
This was a plain square mosque unique in that its minaret was separated
from the main structure. Like most mosques,
its arches were altenating orange and white stone in the Mamluk style.
Green Mosque Complex and Archeological Museum
Below: The Archeological Museum and one of the tiles displayed within
The last Iznik site was also the most picturesque. Though neither the museum nor the mosque
hosted much impressive interior art, both provided good examples of tile
work. Further, the exterior of the green
mosque gave one of the better external shots of any of the Bursa mosques.
Overall, the trip to Iznik was invaluable because it provided a sense of the dominant political and cultural histories that shaped the empires over the centuries.
Located only a short 90 minutes from Bursa, it was a trip that reminded
me of what Ifrane could be rather than what it is: A small, picturesque tourist town with plenty to
offer in a day.
No comments:
Post a Comment