İznik Museum

Western Anatolia

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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 to Sultan Orhan to cement a diplomatic alliance. The museum has been shut for restoration for a few years, though on our last visit we were assured it should be open again by 2020. Come here to see its lofty halls displaying original İznik tiles of milky bluish-white and rich 'İznik red' hues.

Other exhibits include 8000-year-old finds from a nearby tumulus (burial mound) at Ilıpınar, indicating links with Neolithic Balkan culture.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • City Walls & Gates

    City Walls & Gates

    0.23 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…

  • Aya Sofya

    Aya Sofya

    0.35 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…

  • Lefke Gate

    Lefke Gate

    0.18 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…

  • Yeşil Cami

    Yeşil Cami

    0.04 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…

  • Yenişehir Gate

    Yenişehir Gate

    0.6 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.

  • İstanbul Gate

    İstanbul Gate

    0.53 MILES

    İznik's imposing northern gate, part of the fortified city walls, features huge stone carvings of heads facing outwards.

  • Church of the Koimesis

    Church of the Koimesis

    0.28 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…

  • İznik Viewpoint

    İznik Viewpoint

    0.65 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…

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Nearby Western Anatolia attractions

1. Şeyh Kutbettin Cami

0.02 MILES

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

2. Yeşil Cami

0.04 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. Hacı Özbek Cami

0.18 MILES

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

4. Lefke Gate

0.18 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…

5. City Walls & Gates

0.23 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…

6. Church of the Koimesis

0.28 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…

8. Aya Sofya

0.35 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…