Istanbul Gate - a photo on Flickriver

Istanbul Gate

Ancient Nicaea.....modern day Iznik, is located on the shore of a lake close to the Asian coast of the Marmara Sea, in the historical region called Bithynia. The area around Nicaea was, and still is, very favoured from an agricultural viewpoint. Unlike many other historical towns of Turkey and in particular nearby Bursa, Iznik has not seen a large increase in population and it is still enclosed within its ancient walls. The shape of Nicaea is a clear indication of the Roman influence. Two streets cross the town and meet at a right angle. They are north/south and east/west oriented and end with a monumental gate. Although Nicaea had been inhabited since time immemorable, an earthquake destroyed it in AD 123 and the town was redesigned and rebuilt during the reign of Emperor Hadrian. Most likely the town was rebuilt without walls, because the borders of the Roman Empire were far away and no one thought an enemy could threaten Nicaea. In 267 however the Herules sacked Athens and the Roman emperors promoted the construction of walls to protect cities and towns from similar raids. Emperor Claudius II (268-70) fortified Nicaea by building walls having a length of five miles. The gates incorporated pre-existing triumphal arches. The western gate is lost. The Roman walls were damaged by earthquakes in the VIth century and parts of them were rebuilt by Emperor Justinian and they were strengthened in the next century when the Arabs threatened Nicaea (and Constantinople). The walls were fortified by more than a hundred towers. The once-imposing Roman walls, renovated by the Byzantines, no longer dominate, but parts of their 5km circumference remain impressive. Four main gates still transect the walls, while remains of 12 minor gates and 114 towers also stand. The most impressive walls, reaching 10m to 13m in height, stand between Lefke Gate and the southern Yenişehir Gate . Lefke comprises three Byzantine gateways, and offers good views of the walls to the south. The imposing northern İstanbul Gate features huge stone carvings of heads facing outwards. Göl (Lake) Gate has scant remains, as does the minor Saray (Palace) Gate , named this because Sultan Orhan (r 1326–61) had a palace nearby. Just inside Saray is a ruined 15,000-seat Roman theatre . Read more: www.lonelyplanet.com/turkey/iznik/sights/historic/city-wa...

Taken in: Turkey / Bursa / İznik (show map)

Taken on: March 28, 2015

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Sets appears in: • Ancient Nicaea (Iznik) • TURKEY

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Camera: Canon EOS REBEL T3i, f/9.0, 1/400 sec, 25mm, ISO 3200 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS REBEL T3i
Lens:	EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
Aperture:	f/9.0
Exposure Time:	0.003 sec (1/400)
Focal Length:	25mm
ISO:	3200
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Manual
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4.4 (Windows)
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