Beautiful Sephardic synagogue that was founded prior to the Muslim conquest of Istanbul in 1453. It…read morehas been in use ever since it was established. It is the oldest active synagogue in Istanbul. The name comes from a corruption of Ohrid, which is where the original members of synagogue immigrated. The painted walls have been lovingly restored and date from the Baroque period of the 17th century. The central Bima that resembles Noah's Ark is stunning and is covered with rich tapestries. Visits must be arranged about a week prior with permission of the Rabbi or contact an authorized tour company to arrange a special tour. We used Ensar from Istanbulday. Make sure to bring your passport to the visit.

Several synagogues in Istanbul have been named Neve Shalom or "Oasis of Peace." As the Jewish…read morepopulation rapidly increased in the Galata and Beyoğlu districts in the 1930s, the smaller existing neighborhood synagogues could not meet the demand especially at religious holidays like Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. As special venues had to be rented, the religious leaders planned the building of a new synagogue. The "new" Neve Shalom synagogue was designed by Elyo Ventura and Bernar Motola, two young Jewish graduates of Istanbul Technical University. One of the biggest challenges they faced was to plan a dome that could support the massive weight of a beautiful Star of David chandelier. They also had beautiful stained glass windows created. The synagogue open its doors in 1951. It is the largest Sephardic synagogue in Istanbul. Today, the synagogue is open to the public, but security is high due to several brutal attacks that claimed lives during Shabbat services. The first attack occurred during Shabbat services on September 6,1986. 22 Jewish citizens died as terrorists opened fire during the services. Bombings on November 15, 2003, again during Shabbat prayers, killed six people who were in the synagogues, five security guards, one police officer and eleven citizens who were on the street. The synagogue also has a chandelier that survived an attack on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires in 1992. Bring your passport if you visit Neve Shalom Synagogue or the Jewish Museum of Turkey.

Interesting to see Beth Yaakov Synagogue in the charming Kuzguncuk neighborhood on the Asian side…read moreof Istanbul. Also known as little Jerusalem, there are several synagogues, churches and a mosque all coexisting within a few blocks of each other. İcadiye Street is a tranquil street where Jews have lived peacefully alongside Armenians and Greeks for over 400 years. Visits must be prearranged with the Rabbi. We just saw the synagogue from the outer gates.

This Synagogue is also known as Ashkenazi Synagogue of Istanbul…read more Such a surprise to see a synagogue threaded in the tiny urban valley between tall buildings in a tiny near Galata Tower. I found this between Galata Tower and Karakoy Tramway Station. Really cool neighborhood. Steep streets and steps to-from Galata Tower and the Ashkenazi Synagogue. It is relatively new, built around 1900, and can be visited on some days.

It was just terrific. They explained everything. You have to be comfortable with nudity, your own,…read moreand the scantily dressed woman who is scrubbing and helping you (if you are a woman). But I would do it again in a heartbeat, so relaxing.

The Suleymaniye Hamam was a cultural experience, that's for sure…read more I wanted to try a genuine Turkish bath, and the Sulimaniye Hamam is not only one of the oldest ones in Istanbul, it's also one of the few that allows co-ed bathing. In fact, it requires you come with a partner to partake. So I coerced my husband into coming along and made reservations for a Turkish bath. We arrived early but they took us right away. You are given a changing room (shared with your partner) and asked to dress in a bikini for women (they give you shorts and a top if you don't bring your own) and a towel for men. You're also given some very uncomfortable wooden sandals. A side note here: They made my husband leave his glasses in the changing room, which left him functionally blind. The glasses WOULD have steamed up in the bathing room, but I think that would have been preferable to him not being able to see at all, AND we saw another person wearing glasses in there. (OK, I saw another person wearing glasses in there--husband saw nothing.) So if you wear glasses and want them on your face for the bath, do it. After changing, you're brought into a large steam room for about 30 minutes to wait for your bath. There's a large heated marble square in the center of the room to sit on, and sinks around the perimeter of the room for you to fill bowls with water to splash yourself. Each of the four corners of the room is a treatment area, with two benches and two sinks. When it's your turn, the bathers will call you in to a corner and begin the treatment. The treatment consists of exfoliation with a loofah, followed by laying down on the table to be scrubbed all over with bubbles. They work on your back first, then your front. The scrubbing includes a little bit of massage, which was nice. Then, you are splashed with clean water to rinse the soap, and moved back to the area next to the sink where they shampoo your hair. Finally, you are splashed with progressively colder water until you're completely rinsed and soap-free. The last part of the experience is getting dry. The bathers bring you into a side room and wrap you in Turkish bath towels. They do not like it if you try to wrap yourself, I learned. Finally, you're brought into a room with benches and tables where you can order coffee, tea, water, or other refreshments. After our sweaty bath experience, all we wanted was water and more water. When you're done, you go back to your changing room, get back into your clothes, and that's it. You can pay for your refreshments on the way out (you pre-paid for the treatment) as well as leave any tips in a designated box. Pro tips: Bring something to hold back your hair if it's long. Bring makeup wipes since any makeup you're wearing will smear. Bring deodorant to reapply, as well as any hair products or makeup you might need, unless you plan on going straight back to your hotel. They do have blow dryers available for use at the hamam. As I said at the beginning, this was a cultural experience. I didn't find it relaxing exactly, especially since I wasn't sure what was going to happen at any given time. I'm glad I went, but I probably won't seek out a Turkish bath experience here at home.