The ceramic tiles produced in İznik (historic Nicaea) during the 15 and 16th centuries represent the cultural and artistic zenith of the Ottoman Empire. These tiles still grace the walls of many mosques and palaces. The examples of these tiles are part of the best collections of museums in Turkey and around the world. The main principle of the Foundation is to revive the traditional art of tile making and with this purpose instituted an ongoing research phase in 1995. Because of this research Iznik tiles are today being reproduced using rediscovered traditional methods. The successful research and investigations into the subject, conducted by institutions such as Istanbul University, Istanbul Technical University and TÜBİTAK have drawn wide interest both within and outside Turkey. The Foundation consists of three units: Iznik Training and Education Foundation, Istanbul; Iznik Ceramic Research Centre, Iznik; Iznik Tiles and Ceramic Corporation, Istanbul & Iznik.
The founding aims of the Iznik Training and Education Foundation are to publicize the culture and artistic assets of Iznik and its surrounding communities, to activate the current potentials of the area, to systematize both existing information and any new information obtained regarding the traditional art of Iznik tile, and to pass this knowledge on to current and future generations through training and education.
