Turkey

Jewish heritage tours of Turkey are an opportunity to explore a place like no other, with history and culture comparable to the greatest cities and trade empires in the world.

East meets West in Turkey, a silk trade crossroads and home to a Jewish community with a long and fascinating history.

Discover the story of Jews who migrated from Spain and Portugal during the Inquisition. Visit the Ahrida Synagogue in the Balat district of Istanbul.

Go into depth about the Ottomans and visit mosques decorated with 16th-century blur tiles.

Take a cruise up the Bosphorus, buy spices in a bazaar, and see the Byzantine art and mosaics decorating many of the churches in the country.

Take a Jewish tour in Turkey to discover a land filled with wonder, from ancient Roman Mosaics to flying hot-air balloons and ancient temples that look like they should have been lost in time.

On a Jewish heritage tour of Istanbul, visit the Turkish Jewish Museum housed in the Zulfaris Synagogue and learn about the migration of Jews from Spain and Portugal to Turkey during the Inquisition, as well as what their history has looked like since.

On Jewish group tours in Turkey, private tours, or family tours, discover the different Jewish communities that have made Turkey their home, Sephardic (from Portugal and Spain), Italian, and Romaniote (Byzantine) Jews. See the synagogue where Shabetei Tzvi announced his ill-fated Messianic mission to his followers and meet actual community members in the country today.

Turkey is full of mystery, history, and discovery. A country where the east meets the west, empires have grown and fallen, and the Jewish community has lived for centuries.