BASILIZNIK-SECRETS

The famous city of Nicaea (now Iznik) was established on the shore of the Lake Iznik (Turkey), 5 km north of the active Middle segment of the North Anatolian Fault (MNAF). In May 325 AD, the city has hosted the first Council of Christians, the founding event of Christian religions. The location of this council remained unknown until Prof. M. Şahin discovered a basilica in the Lake Iznik in 2014 (under 1.5 m of water and 50 m from shore). The basilica was destroyed and submerged after an unknown catastrophic event, probably an earthquake, as suggested by the damage observed on the city’s archaeological remains.

The project