Istanbul Guide

127

1 SIGHTS

and vineyards, trade freely and own proper ty?’ By the end of the Ottoman Empire, there were tens of thousands of Jews living in the city (10,000 in the neighbourhood of Balat alone, and nearly as many in Hasköy). Alas, this enlightened state didn’t last through the centuries, and Jewish Turks were made to feel considerably less welcome when racially motivated ‘wealth taxes’ were introduced in 1942; these applied until 1944. Many members of the community emigrated to the newly established nation of Israel be tween 1947 and 1949 and others left when violence against Jews and other minorities was unleashed in the 1950s. More recently Islamist terrorists have bombed synagogues on a number of occasions, including here at the Neve Shalom and at Şişli’s Bet Israel syn agogue on 15 November 2003. Twenty-four people (six Jews and 18 Muslims) died as a re sult of these bombings. Fascinating objects in the museum’s collection include an array of Jewish ceremonial regalia with Turkish Otto man influence, including a 19th-century ha nukkiah (menorah made just for Hanukkah) in the shape of a minaret. Other highlights include a section about the Ladino language that includes musical recordings. The Neve Shalom synagogue was built in 1951 and has the largest congregation in the city. It is possible to order kosher food packages to collect from the museum (call at least one day ahead); you can also enjoy a kosher meal in the museum’s cafe. Approximately 17,000 Jews currently live in Turkey, with 1700 residing in İstanbul (most in the suburbs of Nişantaşı, Etiler, Ke merburguz and Gayrettepe). Sephardic Jews make up around 96% of this number, while the rest are primarily Ashkenazic. There are a total of 19 functioning synagogues in the city. For a list of these, and for information about how to visit them, see www.jewish europe.net/turkey/en/synagogue. To visit decommissioned synagogues in the city, con tact the Chief Rabbinate at tjc@tjcomm.org. GALATA MEVLEVI MUSEUM MUSEUM Map p248 (Galata Mevlevihanesi Müzesi; www. galatamevlevihanesimuzesi.gov.tr; Galipdede Cad desi 15, Tünel; admission ₺10; h 9am-4pm Tue-Sun; m Şişhane, j Tünel) The semahane (whirling dervish hall) at the centre of this tekke (der vish lodge) was erected in 1491 and renovated in 1608 and 2009. It’s part of a complex in cluding a meydan-ı şerif (courtyard), çeşme (drinking fountain), türbesi (tomb) and hamuşan (cemetery). The oldest of six historic

1 Galata, Tophane & Karaköy İSTANBUL MODERN GALLERY Map p248 (İstanbul Modern Sanat Müzesi; % 0212-334 7300; www.istanbulmodern.org; Meclis-i Mebusan Caddesi, Tophane; adult/ student/child under 12yr ₺25/14/free; h 10am 6pm Tue, Wed & Fri-Sun, to 8pm Thu; j Tophane) This large, lavishly funded and innovative museum has an extensive collection of Turk ish art and also stages a constantly chang ing and uniformly excellent program of mixed-media exhibitions by high-profile lo cal and international artists. Its permanent home is next to the Bosphorus in Tophane, but the massive Galataport redevelopment project currently under way means that it will temporarily relocate to another site in MUSEUM Map p248 (500 Yil Vakfi Türk Musevileri, The Quin centennial Foundation Museum of Turkish Jews; % 0212-292 6333; www.muze500.com; Büyük Hendek Caddesi 39, Şişhane; adult/child under 12yr ₺20/free; h 10am-4pm Mon-Thu, to 1pm Fri, to 2pm Sun; m Şişhane, j Tünel) Housed in a building attached to the Neve Shalom syna gogue near the Galata Tower, this museum was established in 2001 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the arrival of the Sephardic Jews in the Ottoman Empire, and moved to its current location in 2014. The imaginatively curated and chronologically arranged interactive collection comprises photographs, video, sound recordings and objects that document the history of the Jewish people in Turkey. Visitors must have photo ID with them to enter. The history of Jews in İstanbul is as long as it is fascinating. Jews were granted free dom of religion and worship in Anatolia by the Seljuks (1077–1308), but weren’t treated as liberally by the Byzantines in Constan tinople. This led many of them to view the Ottomans as saviours, particularly when Mehmet II made the following offer to Jews fleeing Spain in 1492: ‘The God has present ed me with many lands and ordered me to take care of the dynasty of his servants Abra ham and Jacob…Who, amongst you, with the consent of God, would like to settle in İstanbul, live in peace in the shade of the figs Beyoğlu some time in 2016/17. MUSEUM OF TURKISH JEWS

Beyoğlu Sights