Mayor Synagogue (Bursa)
Encyclopedia
Mayor Synagogue is a synagogue
on Arap Şükrü Street in Bursa, Turkey
. It was founded by Jews who settled in the Ottoman Empire
after being expelled
from Majorca. The present building was built in the 15th century or the late 16th century.
The synagogue was in regular use until 1975, when it was closed due to financial constraints. Researchers who visited in 1996 found it abandoned and in danger of demolition. However, according to the Turkish government, the building is still used for special events and for washing the dead.
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
on Arap Şükrü Street in Bursa, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. It was founded by Jews who settled in the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
after being expelled
Alhambra decree
The Alhambra Decree was an edict issued on 31 March 1492 by the joint Catholic Monarchs of Spain ordering the expulsion of Jews from the Kingdom of Spain and its territories and possessions by 31 July of that year.The edict was formally revoked on 16 December 1968, following the Second...
from Majorca. The present building was built in the 15th century or the late 16th century.
The synagogue was in regular use until 1975, when it was closed due to financial constraints. Researchers who visited in 1996 found it abandoned and in danger of demolition. However, according to the Turkish government, the building is still used for special events and for washing the dead.
See also
- History of the Jews in TurkeyHistory of the Jews in TurkeyTurkish Jews The history of the Jews in the Ottoman Empire and Turkey covers the 2,400 years that Jews have lived in what is now Turkey. There have been Jewish communities in Asia Minor since at least the 5th century BCE and many Spanish and Portuguese Jews expelled from Spain were welcomed to the...
- List of synagogues in Turkey
- Mayor Synagogue (Istanbul)Mayor SynagogueMayor Synagogue is a former synagogue in the Hasköy district of Beyoğlu, Istanbul, Turkey.According to historian Lorans Tanatar Baruh, the synagogue was built in the Byzantine era and was called Mayor because it was the largest in the neighborhood. According to an unspecified historian, however,...