Early in the 13th century the Seljuk Turks ruled the city briefly following which Iznik became the setting for major events in Byzantine history for another century. The city finally came under Turkish sovereighty again, this time for good in 1331 during the reign of the second Ottoman Sultan Orhan Gazi. The 17th century Ottoman traveller Evliya Celebi gives a detailed account of the town in his Chronicles. In his typical lively style, he describes its setting on the flat plain to the east of the lake, its walls, mosques and other monuments, shops and trade. All the decorated wall tiles in the land of the Ottomans are made in the city of Iznik.
Words are incapable of describing the tiles ornamented like chameleons which are produced.
While the events of political history, however important, are recalled only sporadically, art set its stamp on daily life so that its memory remains vivid. The chinaware of Iznik, an art which began here in Byzantine times and reached its zenith under the Ottoman Turks, is a striking example, and the potteries of Iznik played a central role in the town's destiny. During the Byzantine era the pottery of Iznik was similar to that made in many other regions of Anatolia but soon after the Turkish conquest, Iznik ware developed a distinctive style. Moreover production expanded significantly, as the potteries were turned virtually into imperial tile works manufacturing vast quantities of wall tiles for the Ottoman palaces, mosques and other monumental buildings which embellished the four corners of the empire. In addition to tiles, the town's potteries continued to produce china ware for sale to the public as well as the palace.