Works start for İznik’s theater

BURSA - Anatolia News Agency

The ancient Roman theater in İznik has been cleaned and its environment has been reorganized. when the workd are done, the theater site will open to tourists. DHA photo

A rare Roman theater in the northwestern province of Bursa’s İznik town (ancient Nicaea), is being unearthed. With a 200,000 Turkish Liras project, the Bursa Special Provincial Directorate have started works to unearth the theater, which was built between 62 and 113 B.C., the time of Roman governor Pilinius Csecillius Secunds.

“The project tries to make İznik one of the most important centers in the world. We shed light on İznik’s tile work and its historical richness from the Seljuk, Byzantine, Ottoman and Roman period within the scope of this project,” said Bursa Mayor Şahabettin Harput, who visited the theater last week.

“The town is the center of the İznik-Andalusia Alliance of Civilizations project that is being carried out with the support of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan,” he said at a press conference.

Harput said they had worked on the historic Roman Theater in İznik for nearly two months. The works include cleaning the theater site which was surrounded by waste and graffiti marred its walls.

 “The site has been rearranged with 200,000 liras provided by the Bursa Special Provincial Directorate and has been prepared for excavations. We will start the restoration and finish it as soon as possible. Later on, it will be open to tourists and also host social and cultural events,” he said. İznik residents provided support to the project as well as the Culture and Tourism Ministry, he added.