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Duration : Half day 4-5 hours || Full day 7-8 hours (approx.)
Galata Tower
Neve Shalom Synagogue
Ashkenazi Synagogue
Zulfaris Synagogue (Jewish Museum of Istanbul)
Balat
Ahrida (Ohrid) Synagogue
Jewish Cemetery
Galata Tower
Neve Shalom Synagogue
Ashkenazi Synagogue
Zulfaris Synagogue (Jewish Museum of Istanbul)
Schedule details
Jewish Heritage Tours in Istanbul, begin of Sephardic history at the Galata Quarter, a region which had been almost completely Jewish for more than 400 years. Today, Galata is known throughout the world by its huge tower, built in 1303 by the Genovese. Visit the Galata Tower, the office of the Chief Rabbinate is also located in Galata today, there are 16 Synagogues in Istanbul that are still in use.
First, visit the Neve Shalom Synagogue, used for most of the community functions today, as well as the Ashkenazi Synagogue dating from the nineteenth century and the only Ashkenazi Synagogue in Istanbul, originally built by the Austrian Jews. Stop at the Zulfaris Synagogue, which now also serves as the Museum of Turkish Jewish Museum since 2001. Its name comes from the street where it is located, which was called Zulf-u arus (present day Percemli Sokak) in Karakoy, which means “Bridal Curls” in both versions, as it was here that the brides, over the centuries, would walk by to go to the synagogue to get married. “Half day tour returning to where the tour concludes”.
” Full day tour ; You will continue to Lunch at a local Seafood Restaurant. (Lunch fee is not included) Drive to Balat, a Jewish working-class district on the shores of the Golden Horn, which absorbed most of the settlers in the fifteenth century from Spain.
Visit the recently restored Ahrida (Ohrid) Synagogue, originally built in the 15th century and is the earliest synagogue in Istanbul. The original 20-foot long oak bimah (teva), shaped either like Noah’s Ark or, like the Ottoman ship which brought the Sephardim to freedom from Spain to Turkey, can still be seen. Then visit the Jewish Cemetery before returning to where you tour concludes.
Inclusions
Pickup and drop-off included
Half Day Tour Price
Full Day Tour Price
Payment
Additional information
- Some Synagogues may not be accessible at the time of your tour. We need your full name, birthday and passport copies by email or fax in order to get the special permission for visiting the Synagogues in Istanbul.
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 7 days of travel. In this case confirmation will be received within 48 hours, subject to availability.
- At time of booking, Cruise Ship passengers must provide the following details under Special Requirements: Ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time.
- Children 6-18 years must be accompanied by an adult
- Please enter your preferred pickup time in the Special Requirements box at the time of booking, and reconfirm 48 hours prior to the tour’s departure time.
- Ephesus requires walking long distances over uneven surfaces, comfortable clothing and closed toe, sensible walking shoes are recommended. Sunglasses and sunscreen are suggested.
- We will ensure your timely return to the Kusadasi or Izmir port for this activity. If you are not returned to the ship in time to board, we will arrange for transportation to the next port-of-call.
Make the difference between a good trip and an outstanding one !
We completely enjoyed our day with Taylan, who is Turkish. He was very generous with his time and extremely knowledgable Jewish regarding the history as well as cultural and religious aspects of Istanbul and the country of Turkey. He was consciencious and careful to arrive on time with a clean, reliable car and he gave us good advice for the rest of our trip. He extended the tour beyond that which he had offered to show us. Really great!
伊斯坦堡的现代化相当令人印象深刻。
We had a terrific day our tour was flawlessly performed from start to finish.
Old buildings, small side streets, authantic town people, nice Golden Horn view and relatively close to touristic areas.
We were only in Istanbul for one day, but thanks to the excellent work of our tour guide Taylan our party of eight was able to get a real taste of the city. Can’t wait to go back and spend more time in this fascinating place.
We were travelling on a cruise ship with 3 couples and booked a private tour our tour guide seemed to get us to each place before the big crowds arrived thanks.
We had a lovely tour of Istanbul with our tour guide and the tour is so much better and less expensive than any group tour the cruise ships offer.
The tour was very reasonably priced compared to those offered by our cruise ship. We really appreciated the personal touch only afforded by a small group tour. I would strongly suggest that anyone traveling to Istanbul. You won’t be disappointed.
I arranged a tour before going on a Mediterrian cruise. We did an amazing tour of Istanbul and incredibly knowledgeable guide. Thank you for a memorable and informative day!
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.