Ahrida Synagogue ( Ohrid Synagogue ), is located in Balat, the city’s historically Jewish district, Istanbul oldest synagogue is believed to date back to the 1430s, when it was founded by Jews from the town of Ohrid in what is today Macedonia.
The synagogue was extensively restored in 1992 to the Ottoman baroque style of its last major reconstruction in the 17th century. The most interesting feature of this Sephardic place of worship is the boat-shape wooden bimah, whose form is thought to represent either Noah’s Ark or the ships that brought the Jews from the Iberian Peninsula to the Ottoman Empire in 1492.
It was built by Romaniotes (Greek Jews), but after the arrival of the Sephardi Jews it was used exclusively by them. This Romaniotes group were from the city of Ohrid in what was then the Ottoman Empire and is now the Republic of Macedonia, and it is said to have moved to Constantinople more than 550 years ago.
Ahrida is one of the two names being used by Greeks for the city of Ohrid. Sephardi Jews arrived in the Ottoman Empire from the Iberian peninsula in 1492, a larger group of Jews in population than Romaniotes.
The result of this was the assimilation of the Romaniotes by the Sephradic culture. The two groups were finally mixed with Sephardic culture being the predominant culture now in Istanbul (like what happened in the case of the Jews of Thessaloniki) so that the liturgy was being done in the Sephardic style and the whole Jews community of the city was speaking the Ladino language.
The building, being one of the two ancient synagogues in Golden Horn, was renovated in 1992 by the Quincentennial Foundation, in celebration of the 500th anniversary of Sephardic Jews’ arrival in the Ottoman Empire. Ahrida Synagogue is known foremost by its boat-shaped tevah (reading platform, known in Ashkenazi communities as a bimah).
Ahrida Synagogue is also the only synagogue in Istanbul at which Sabbatai Zevi, founder of the Jewish Sabbatean movement, prayed.
Ahrida ” Ohrid ” Synagogue, Istanbul Turkey
Ahrida Synagogue built by Jews from the town of Ohrid (Ohrida, Ahrida) in Macedonia, the Ahrida synagogue in the Balat quarter of Istanbul is the city’s oldest functioning synagogue. The exact date of construction is unknown, because the original building was destroyed in the great fire of Istanbul in 1660, but it is believed to have been in the early fifteenth century, before the Ottoman conquest of the city in 1453. After the fire, the synagogue was completely rebuilt by 1709 and was renovated at later dates.
Ahrida Synagogue is the oldest and the most beautiful synagogue in Istanbul. Its name comes from the destruction of a town in Macedonia (Ohrid). It has a community of 500 people and built before the conquest of Istanbul and has been open for worship since then.
Ahrida Synagogue
A glorious example of the rich cultural life of Turkish Jews, the Ahrida has its rightful place among major synagogues of the world. The oldest of Istanbul’s 16 synagogues in use today, located in the neighborhood of Balat (Istanbul), the Ahrida dates from the early 15th century. A remarkable feature of the Ahrida is its Teva (Bima) which is in the shape of the prow of a ship. The tradition says that it symbolizes either Noah’s Ark or the Ottoman ships which transported the Sephardim from Spain to Turkey. Its design is impressive and memorable.
The Ahrida was badly damaged by a fire in the late 17th century, which may even have destroyed it completely. The exact year of the fire is unknown, but an imperial Berman dated 1694 calls for the rebuilding of the synagogue, which was done at the time in the Baroque style of the Tulip Period.
The restoration project, overseen by architect Husrev Tayla, revealed various styles of architecture layered one on top of the other.
Istanbul’s oldest synagogue, the Ahrida Synagogue also called Okhrida is said to take its name from the town of Okhrid in Macedonia, once the origin of many of Istanbul’s Jews. It is also considered among the most famous of Istanbul’s old synagogues.
The synagogue is on Vodina Caddesi, often called Kurkcu Cesme Sokagi. The original building is thought to have been built in the early 1400s, but a disastrous fire in the 1600s was responsible for extensive damage. In 1694 the sultan issued a decree calling for its reconstruction. The work was done in the Ottoman Baroque style popular at that time, as exemplified in its wooden dome.
Ahrida Synagogueis located in Balat near the Golden Horn. It can only be visited during weekday mornings.
Contact: The Balat Foundation 0212 5237407 (during office hours)
Address: Kürkçüçeşme Sokak 9, Balat
I had a great time in Istanbul unfortunately, the low point of our trip was our tour with Istanbul Jewish Heritage Tours. As others have mentioned our guide was not very well informed about Jewish Life and appeared to make up a lot of the information or simply repeat what he read in guide book.
The good part is we had a driver and someone to make sure we didn’t get lost. One of the synagogues, an interesting Sephardic one, Ahidra Synagogue was in neighborhood we would never have visited on our own and was locked so we needed a guide to access. You can simply visit the Jewish museum on your own. The museum is the Zülfaris Synagogue, and no guide is needed. From there you can also visit the Galata Tower. Overall, this is a safe neighborhood especially during the day time.