Lake İznik
Lake İznik is a freshwater lake in the Province of Bursa, Turkey. It is around in length and in width with a maximum depth of about. The town of Iznik lies at its eastern end. The lake's Ancient Greek name was Askania ; the Latin name was Ascania.
History
In Greek mythology, during the Trojan War the region by Lake İznik was held by the Phrygians, who sent troops to the aid of King Priam, led by the brothers Phorcys and Ascanius, sons of Aretaon as related in the Iliad.Ascanius, son of Aretaon, should not be confused with Ascanius or Ascanius, who also feature in legends of the Trojan War.
In the 1920s, the region was known for rice production.
In 2014, during aerial photography to survey the local monuments, the remains of an underwater Byzantine basilica erected in the 4th century were identified, a discovery which was named one of the top 10 discoveries by the Archaeological Institute of America. The basilica was dedicated to St. Neophytos of Nicaea and it was built sometime after 390 AD and destroyed in a major earthquake in 1065. Plans are underway to establish an underwater museum.