Synagogues in Türkiye · Karaköy, Istanbul
A symbol of Turkish-Jewish amity — five centuries of coexistence in one building.
A city straddling two continents, Istanbul is at the same time a bridge linking Eastern and Western cultures. It is the world’s only city where for five centuries people have worshipped in peace and harmony at mosques, synagogues and churches standing side by side. This remarkable city saw a new addition to its cultural heritage on 25 November 2001 when the Museum of Turkish Jews was opened.
The museum has been founded by the Quincentennial Foundation, whose objective is to commemorate the amicable relations between Turks and Jews which began in 1326 with the Ottoman conquest of Bursa — where there was already a thriving Jewish community — and were cemented when the Ottoman Turks offered a new homeland to the Sephardic Jews who preferred to leave their Spanish homeland rather than lose their religious freedom.
The Zulfaris Synagogue stands on Perçemli Sokak in the Karaköy district. The name Zulfaris is the colloquial form of zülf-ü arus, meaning “bridal curls.” The present name Perçemli has the same meaning in modern Turkish, and refers to the many brides who passed down the street on their way to be married at the synagogue over the centuries.
In the courtyard stands a sculpture by Nadia Arditti, entitled The Soaring Flame — a monument in memory of the Jewish soldiers of Türkiye who lost their lives defending their homeland in World War I and the War of Independence. It is a profound expression of the community’s identification with the Turkish nation.
The main hall is illuminated by an image of a tallit (prayer shawl) bearing a star and crescent motif — Turkish and Jewish symbols united. Panels and maps tell the story of the Spanish Jews from the golden age of the Andalusian period through their arrival in the Ottoman Empire.
Exhibits include the warrant of exemption from tax granted to the Jews of Buda by Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent, and the historic Edirne Letter written by Rabbi Sarfati, calling on the persecuted Jews of Europe to migrate to Ottoman Türkiye. Turkish motifs on Judaic religious objects reflect the extent to which Jews became an integral part of Turkish society.
The right wing begins with the story of the first Hebrew printing press in Ottoman Türkiye (1493) and displays a copy of Midrash Teilim, printed in Istanbul in 1512. One section covers the history of the Jewish press in Türkiye; another is devoted to the contribution of Jewish migrants to Ottoman classical music.
Other panels focus on the numerous scholars who fled Nazi Germany and pursued their academic careers at Turkish universities, and the stories of Turkish diplomats who saved Jewish lives in the countries where they were serving during World War II.
In the upper gallery — reserved for women when the synagogue was used for worship — are exhibits relating to the 400th and 500th anniversary celebrations, Türkiye’s Ashkenazi community, and the Moris Sinasi Children’s Hospital in Manisa.
On the ground floor, the Ethnographic Section presents reconstructions of scenes illustrating birth and circumcision, the trousseau and marriage. Two marriage contracts are on display, alongside a chronological series of photographs of brides and grooms from the 1860s to the 1960s — a century of Turkish-Jewish family life in a single gallery. Costumes, wedding gowns, talismans and jewellery reflect the culture of Türkiye’s Jewish communities over the centuries.
“Istanbul is the world’s only city where for five centuries people have worshipped in peace and harmony at mosques, synagogues and churches standing side by side.”— Naim Güleryüz
The Quincentennial Foundation established this museum to mark 500 years of Jewish life in Türkiye.
The Quincentennial Foundation →