INTERSECTION POINT OF
RELIGIOUS BALAT AND FENER ALONG THE GOLDEN HORN
The estuary, Halic in Turkish,
was called as the Golden Horn by the Byzantines. According to legend it was
formed by the thrust if lo’s horns that was transformed into a heifer by Zeus.
Another legend relates that the plentiful palamut fish (Atlantic bonito) makes
the water shimmer with their reflective skin. Actually the sunrise and sunset
lend its golden reflections to the still waters.
The Golden Horn was closely
associated with the Tulip Era, the most controversial period of Ottoman
history. During this period rich royal yachts plied the waters, splendid kioks
and mansion houses were built along the shores of the Golden Horn and all the
gardens displayed the most colourful examples of glorious tulips, which lent
their name to the period. It is a pity that none of those kiosks or tulip
gardens survives to the present day. However, we will visit 3 important
buildings, each of them belonging to a different religious community and each
was built during the Ottoman and Byzantine periods, over the hills with a
commanding view of the Golden Horn.
At present 2 district of
Istanbul, Balat and Fener, are closely associated with the Golden Horn. Sultan
Mehmet the Conqueror granted privileges to the Christian and Jewish communities
living in the city to perform their rituals free of intervention. Those
privileges are considered to the fine examples of Ottoman tolerance and helped
to keep the Christian community in the city. The Sephardic Jews who were
expelled from Spain were accepted with open arms by the Ottomans and settled in
the same part of the city. So Balat and Fener became a centre for the religious
minorities of Istanbul. There, mosques, churches and synagogues can be seen by
side as if a living proof of the fraternity of religious.
THE SYNAGOGUES OF BALAT
BALAT: the district mostly
populated by Jewish in the Ottoman Period was the scene of many important
Jewish buildings and some of them are still fulfilling their religious
functions. The synagogues of the Sephardic Jewish community survived intact
until1940s when a great part of the community opted to resettle in Israel.
However, there is still a thriving Jewish community living in the area. 2 of
their synagogues are on the Vodina Street and the first one to vist is Cana
Synagogue. The Ahrida Syangogue is on the same road though it was not built by
those who emigrated from Macedonia.
The shape of the synagogue resembles a ship,
as a reference to the wandering Jew. The third synagogue is the YANBOL
SYNAGIGUE which is situated on the Duriye Street, a street crossing the main
road. It was built by the Jews who emigrated from Bulgaria. Along the shores of
Halic is the Or-Ahayim (Light of Life) Hospital which has attractive
architectural features and was built as Jewish hospital in 1896.
