Ahrida Sinagogu

The Ahrida Synagogue features a unique, boat-shaped wooden tebah that sits at the center of its prayer hall. Built by Jewish immigrants from Ohrid in Macedonia during the fifteenth century, this structure survived multiple fires that leveled the surrounding neighborhood. It served as a primary place of worship for Istanbul's Romaniote community for centuries. When the structure finally needed repairs after a severe blaze, the Sultan himself provided the necessary funds to preserve the wooden sanctuary for his subjects.