 | |
  Location of the museum inIstanbul | |
Former name | Zülfaris Synagogue |
|---|---|
| Established | 25 November 2001 (2001-11-25) |
| Location | Karaköy,Istanbul,Turkey |
| Coordinates | 41°01′36″N28°58′22″E / 41.026749°N 28.972734°E /41.026749; 28.972734 |
| Type | Jewish museum |
| Director | Nisya İşman Allovi |
| Curator | Naim Güleryüz |
| Website | muze500.com |
TheJewish Museum of Turkey (officiallyQuincentennial Foundation Museum of Turkish Jews;Turkish:500. Yıl Vakfı Türk Musevileri Müzesi) is aJewish museum andcultural center established by theQuincentennial Foundation to inform the society of the traditions and history ofTurkish Jewry. It was inaugurated on November 25, 2001. The Quincentennial Foundation was established in 1989 by 113Turkish citizens, Jews and Muslims alike, to celebrate thefive hundredth anniversary of the arrival ofSephardim to theOttoman Empire.[1] The idea of a museum was proposed by Naim Güleryüz who is now its curator and the foundation was financed by the prominent Jewish Kamhi family.
The museum building, formerly known as Zülfaris Synagogue, was restored and remodelled to suit a museum. There is evidence that asynagogue existed in 1671, and its foundations suggest that another structure was built during the colony of theRepublic of Genoa.[2] It was recorded as "Holy Sinavi (Synagogue) inGalata" or "Kal Kadoş Galata", it was called as "Zülfaris" which is thought to have derived from thePersian word "Zülf-ü Arus", meaning "the fringe of a bride". However the actual building was re-erected over its original foundations presumably in the early 19th century, probably in 1823.[3]
Jewish Museum of Turkey includes sections on the intermingling cultures of Jewish and Muslim Turks and ethnographic articles that depict the traditions ofTurkish Jews, as well as the historical accounts of the Jewish odyssey fromSpain toTurkey.
Entrance to the building is through an iron gate into acourtyard, in which a metalsculpture by Nadia Arditti is located. Titled the "Statue of the Rising Fire", it is in memory of theTurkish Jews who died fighting in theBalkan,Dalmatia,Caucasus,Palestine,Tripolitania,Dardannelles,Korea andLiberation wars.[2]
The octagonal main hall on the entrance floor information panels related to the history of the Zülfaris Synagogue, theHahambaşı institution, daily life of Jews living in Istanbul andAnatolia, as well as artifacts such as letters, maps,tallits, fermans (imperial decrees) are on display. A copy of theLausanne Treaty that recognized the sovereignty of theRepublic of Turkey and with whichTurkish Jews relinquished theirminority privileges. Theehal (ark) on the same floor holds twotorah scrolls which can be viewed. On another information panel, Jewishacademicians who fled to Turkey fromEurope during theSecond World War andTurkish diplomats who helped Jews escape theHolocaust, some of which areRighteous Among the Nations are introduced.
The balcony, which used to be the prayer section for women holds some paintings depicting daily lives of the local Jewish community. The lower, ground floor is organizedchronologically as anethnographic section with photographs, paintings and objects pertaining to birth,circumcision, wedding, clothing, jewelry, etc.[2]
