Dört Tepeler at Elbeyli, İznik
 

I've just come across this in Hürriyet:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/arc...&NewsCatID=375

It sounds intriguing but I'm uncertain of its age. I'm wondering if our local İznik expert can help me?

hello Croesus,

I visited one of the tombs at Elbeyli some years ago. It was fenced and entry prohibited because the single small site did not warrant a watchman or caretaker.

There was no ornamentation or inscription visible from what i could see of the tomb, but the area, only 15 minutes from Iznik, is very pleasant.

There has been some excavation of the tile kilns, the baths and the basilica but not much at the theatre inside the city. The city walls still pose a danger to traffic on road next to it at places.

there is one new hotel. The Iznik Tile Foundation conducts not only tile but also international music workshops.

So, all in all it is definitely a worthy place to visit as a day or overnight trip from Istanbul.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG0m2Y9kmHI

Cheers, OC. I was a bit confused by the article, whether they are "2,000-year old tumuli" or "2-3,000 B.C." - maybe they mean B.P.

One year I really must visit Turkey in the spring when everything is green, rather than the summer brown I usually see.

The use of the word Bythinia may have lasted from about 500BC to 500AD although i am not sure.

Soil covered burial mounds were usually pre-Roman. However, the article writes about some inscriptions regarding the generations of members of same family buried there, so the language may be Latin also.

Since, I have not heard that any artifacts were discovered in the tombs, it is evident that they have been sacked, possibly a number of times.

Yes, I think it's a typo in the article and they mean 200-300 BC - pre-Roman Bithynia.

Croseus, It is interesting that you opened the subject today.

An hour ago, I received a mail with the atached article that shows aerial photographs of a hitherto unknown sunken basilica just 50 meters off the coas of the promenade of Iznik.

The supposition is that the basilica may have collapsed during the earthquake of 740AD and then submerged at a later earthquake.

However, the surviving basilica in the city is also almost two meters below street level, so it is possible that the waters of the lake have risen over the years and covered the newly discovered one as well as the Senate palace which lies just off the promenade.

I am wondering if we can go see it once the weather gets better with a boat from our compound which is about a mile away.

Fascinating! And yes, Turkey is lovely in the spring! :-)

I just came across the following youtube presentation.

It is rather long, starting with Iznik City in general but moves to Elbeyli town and covers the historic and archeological sites about 10-15 minutes into the presentation.

The tombs and other sites are clearly shown, includin the marvelous door.

I recommend this although unfortunately it is in Turkish.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5e0iPd5ANE

Later parts of the presentation are about the agricultural crops, fruit and olives/olive oil in the area.

Thanks for the video link, OC, very interesting. The builders don't appear to have learned about arches yet, judging by the entrances.

So, what's the nicest hotel to stay at in İznik? I guess a view over the lake is necessary. The Berlin, the Cem or the İznik?

Maybe the Çamlık Motel would be more my budget - has good reviews.

I had a good experience at the Camlik:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...tel-Iznik.html

Berlin seems to be the new hotel. Does not really fit in.

Cem is rather far from city center and had some not so good reviews although its front rooms have good views of lake and city walls.

Camlik Hotel has a good location, close to city center and the Roman theatre as well as the sunken senate palace and newly discovered basilica in addition to the Iznik tile Foundation.

Let me know if and when you plan to get to iznik. I may be able to get you a very reasonably priced guest room at out compound also.

Croesus, you definitely started something.

Today's news is that a well preserved Byzantine floor mosaic was discovered just a few days ago while digging for the new sewage system two meters below road level in one street of the city.

This definitely shows that the lake has risen during the last 600 years or so and that the new town is at least two meters above the level of the old city. Thus, the newly discovered basilica probably did bot sink but was covered by the lake waters in due course.

I always felt the excitement of living in Nicea and/or Iznik depending on my frame of mind.

Fascinating! Thanks for posting the news, other!

More news about the basilica:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/aca...&NewsCatID=375

You can just make it out in Google satellite view:
http://goo.gl/maps/ISE9B

OMG, that is awesome! thanks for the links, Croesus.

İznik’s basilica among top 10 discoveries

An early Byzantine era basilica, which was discovered this year underwater in İznik and has the traces of early Christianity architecture, is among the top 10 discoveries of 2014, according to the Archaeological Institute of America

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/izn...&NewsCatID=375

Basilica in Lake İznik to become underwater museum

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/bas...&NewsCatID=375

What a great development! Thanks for letting us know, Croesus.