摘要: Justification of Outstanding Universal Value　　Situated in a fertile valley nearby the lake with the same name, İznik is a small historic town still enclosed within its ancient walls surrounded by a be

Justification of Outstanding Universal Value

　　Situated in a fertile valley nearby the lake with the same name, İznik is a small historic town still enclosed within its ancient walls surrounded by a beautiful landscape. The historic urban layout of the town is still visible with its grid settlement plan remained since the Hellenistic Period and monumental structures from the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods. The city walls which 4970 m in length, which was built in the late Roman period, then expanded and strengthened during the Byzantine and Ottoman period, is one of the distinctive features of the city. It surrounds settlements creating an irregular polygon with four monumental and several small gates. The walls were also fortified by more than a hundred towers some of which have inscriptions. In addition, columns and other architectural fragments from the ruins of more ancient edifices have been inserted into the city walls.

　　Served as a capital city to Seljuk, Byzantine and Ottoman states respectively, İznik bears exceptional testimony to early examples of cultural, architectural and artistic accomplishment of these cultures. It hosted the most important examples of early church in the history of Christianity. The earliest examples of mosque, madrasa and soup kitchen belonging to the Ottoman Period were all constructed in İznik. It is also a place of co-existence displaying unique synthesis of cultural, architectural and artistic creations of Byzantine and Ottoman cultures, evidence of which can be found in the form, design, material and artistic features of the buildings which were built in the transition period from the Byzantine to the Ottoman Empire.

　　İznik bears exceptional witness to the introduction and early expansion of Christianity. The city hosted the two of the most important ecumenical councils recognized by all churches. During the late antique and medieval period, the city was widely known not only because of its significant role during the formation and development of the faith of Christianity, but also important influences resulting from these meetings. In addition to being the first ecumenical council, the Council of Nicaea (325) resulted in the adoption of the first uniform Christian doctrine, which was called the Creed of Nicaea, still widely used in Christian liturgy by the Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican communities. The Seventh Ecumenical Council (787), on the other hand, had also significant influences especially for the depiction of sacred images representing the saints, Christ, and the Virgin as well as narrative scenes. The veneration and use of icons, which had formerly been banned during the reign of Leo III (717–741) was restored after this council. Thereafter, the icons began to be widely used in churches and monasteries all around the Byzantine Empire. Indeed, İznik still retains its spiritual value for the Christian believers.

　　During the Ottoman Empire, İznik gained a world-wide renown for the second time as the centre of production of ceramic tiles, one of most beautiful and enduring types of Turkish-Islamic art. The art of ceramic, the origins of which could be found in the Neolithic Site of Çatalhöyük, reached its perfection during the 16th century İznik. Although the first known ceramic production dates back to 3rd century BC China, the glazed technique was discovered by the Assyrians, developed through Central Asia and Anatolia, reached its maturity in İznik. İznik ceramics have often been depicted with floral motifs such as tulip, hyacinth, pomegranate and carnation and mostly blue, turquoise, green and red in colour. This finest works of art have still been manufacturing in İznik.

　　Criterion (ii): İznik has been an important centre of the production of the ceramic and exerted great influences across the regions for long centuries. At the beginning of its production, the İznik tile was mostly served to the Ottoman imperial palace in Istanbul. After it began to be exported, İznik tile ceramics created a new art movements across the regions. The technical quality and the beauty of its designs have made it one of the most popular art forms major cultural centres of the world. Today, fine examples of İznik tile can be found almost the entire world’s leading museums.

　　Criterion (iii): As one of the capitals of the Anatolian Seljuks and the Ottomans, İznik represents the unique testimony to cultural, architectural and artistic examples of these cultures. The Empire of Nicaea founded in İznik was the core Byzantine successor states founded by the Laskaris family after Constantinople was occupied during the Fourth Crusade. It lasted from 1204 to 1261 when the Nicaean recovery of Constantinople re-established the Byzantine Empire. Therefore, the architectural remains of İznik represent transitional periods in the history of the architecture of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empire from its earliest days. Hacı Özbek Mosque is the oldest Ottoman mosque in İznik, dating back to 1333. Süleyman Pasha Madrasa is one of the first examples of Ottoman Medreses built in İznik in the first half of the 14th century. The Green Mosque is one of the most significant mosques of the early Ottoman period. Known as the first soup kitchen built with a reverse T-shaped plan, Nilüfer Hatun Soup Kitchen is a fine example of early Ottoman architecture. Indeed, this period of building activities of İznik is also important for displaying the unique politic, economic, cultural and artistic interactions between the Byzantines and the Ottomans. Some of the buildings of early Ottoman period were constructed by re-use of construction elements from the existing Byzantine buildings. In addition, the production İznik tile was as a tangible and artistic evidence of the social, economic and cultural life of the Ottoman Empire from the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries.

　　Criterion (v): With its historic cultural landscape shaped over centuries, İznik represents a testimony to the human interaction with both the lake and the surrounding agricultural areas. The basin of Lake İznik has fertile agricultural lands in which olive groves, vegetables and fruits have been cultivated for centuries. The source of income created from these productive lands has played significant role not only for the selection of the site suitable for human settlement and as a capital city by different cultures, but also for the protection of its historical and natural value for centuries. The remains of the fortifications, the grid layout, and the tumuli around the city illustrate the continuity of the landscape. İznik still displays how closely the town’s inhabitants were connected with the lake and their agricultural hinterland.

　　Criterion (vi): İznik is directly and tangibly connected to great historical and religious events that shaped the faith of Christianity. The most two important meetings in the history of Christianity were convened in İznik. Called by the emperor Constantine the Great, the first Council of Nicaea held in 325 confirmed the divinity of Christ, as the one true God in deity with the Father, which had also been widely believed by the early Christian communities. It was also an agreement on when to celebrate Easter the most important feast of the ecclesiastical calendar. The Seventh Ecumenical Council held in 787 had also important influences. After this council, the icons were considered worthy of veneration and began to be widely used in the churches and monasteries throughout the Byzantine Empire.