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A view looking west at the middlemost opening—of three—of the East Gate that is located on the east side of Nicea (Iznik). In Turkish, this is called the Lefke Kapi.
This portion of the Lefke Kapi has been excavated down to the ancient roadway that led through it. On both sides of the arched main entrance, notice the two pedestrian exits and entrances. Above each of them are niches in which statues could be placed.
The "Lefke Kapi" is one of the four major gates of ancient Nicea. An inscription above this gate indicates that it was built by a proconsul Marcus Plancius Varus. These gates were embedded into the late first century A.C. wall (Flavian walls) that were rebuilt after the Goths destroyed them in A.D. 268. The walls were about 3 miles (5 km) in circumference and included over 100 towers!
