The Jews of Istanbul and the Bosphorus Communities

After Bayezid II welcomed the Spanish exiles in 1492, Constantinople became one of the world's largest Jewish concentrations, blending Romaniotes, Sephardim and Ashkenazim. Organized into many congregations (kahalim) by origin, the community shone through its printing and its chief rabbinate (Haham Bashi). The Balat and Hasköy quarters remain its witnesses.