To get away from the chaotic and busy life of the big city, day trips are a great escape. One of my favorites, by car, is a trip to İznik.

From İstanbul it’s just a short ferry ride and a bus ride away, or you can drive to this small walled town on the shores of Lake İznik in a couple of hours, depending on the time of day and traffic. Toward the outskirts of İstanbul, you drop down by the Marmara Sea, where you can cross by car ferry, or you can drive around the shore to the other side.

İznik is, for walkers and history buffs, an interesting place to explore. Anyone interested in ancient Christian history will be interested to know that İznik is the current-day name of Nicaea, dating back to the empire of Alexander the Great, though in the early part of the 13th century, it was the Seljuk Turks who ruled the city. İznik was the setting for major events in Byzantine history for another century. After that, the city came under Turkish sovereignty once again, around 1331, during the reign of the second Ottoman sultan, Orhan Gazi (in English, “gazi” means “hero”).

With the growth of the Ottoman Empire and the conquering of other major Byzantine cities such as Bursa and İstanbul, the importance of İznik waned in some ways, but it remains famous for its ceramics and tiles. During the Roman Empire, green glazed ceramics and glass were produced here. However, the fame of İznik began in the Ottoman era, when the craftsmen of the city were the first to mix a shade of blue, known then as İznik blue. They went on to mix it with green to make the color we know today as turquoise — the color of the Turks.

I bet you did not know that fun fact! The color turquoise is named after Turkey? Perhaps you have seen the ad on CNN International sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism that boasts “Turkey — the home of turquoise.” Wikipedia states that the word turquoise, which dates to the 17th century, is derived from the French “Turques” for “Turks,” because the opaque blue-green mineral was first brought to Europe from Turkey.

One of the reasons I love to visit İznik is because of the centuries of history that can be traced back to this place where the Nicene Creed was agreed upon and written. Many are unaware that in A.D. 325, the first general council of the Church met in Nicea (present day Iznik), where it proclaimed the doctrine of the Trinity and established the Nicene Creed. Here is another fun fact, which I shared in the piece, “Love is giving,” published on Dec. 21, 2014: St. Nicholas was one of the attendees at the famous Nicea Council in A.D. 325, and apparently he became so put out with Arius, who was perceived as a heretic, that Santa slapped Arius in the face. I don’t recommend that if someone disagrees with your theology or opinion you follow this example!

Everywhere you look in İstanbul and parts of western Anatolia, you are reminded of the Byzantine civilization (A.D. 330-1453). Many of the places you can visit to escape urban life can be reached in a short drive or an hour-long plane flight. In a real sense, Anatolia was the cradle of Christianity.

St. Paul was born in Tarsus in Cilica. Many of his journeys in the first century were to Anatolian cities including Ephesus, Konya, Troas, Miletus and Colossae. Followers of Christ were first called “Christians” in Antioch, near the Syrian border. Many of St. Paul’s epistles, and those of Peter, were written to Christians in Anatolia. Of course, the seven churches of the Book of Revelation were all in western Anatolia. I always like to say “Welcome to Asia” when we cross the bridge over the Bosporus Strait, and I also add, “You are now in Anatolia — ancient Asia Minor!”

CHARLOTTE MCPHERSON

Source:Today’s Zaman