From Bulgaria to Balat: Newly found objects shed light on history of synagogue

By Marta Somek, AGOS

Photos Yanbol Synagogue

During restoration work conducted in a forgotten room inside Yanbol, one of the two synagogues still in use in Balat, a hidden treasure of ritual objects was discovered.

The objects, mostly dating to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, are now on display in a synagogue room in an permanent exhibition titled “Light of Yanbol–Luz de Yanbol.”

Nisya İşman Allovi, Director of the Turkish Jewish Museum of the 500th Year Foundation and curator of the exhibition, says, “Each item in the collection is precious not only in terms of ritual but also cultural memory.”

Interior of the newly restored Yanbol Synagogue, also known as Bulgarian Synagogue, in Balat

Of the 12 synagogues that once existed in Istanbul’s Balat neighborhood, once densely populated by Jews, only two remain open today.

One of them is Ahrida, the other is Yanbol, open for worship after a two-year restoration. While four other synagogues await renovation, the others lay in ruins.

The Yanbol Synagogue, also known as Bulgarian Synagogue, believed to have been built in the 18th century, was established by Jews who migrated from the town of Yambol, in Bulgaria, and settled in Balat.

The synagogue’s membership has dwindled considerably over the years due to migrations. Now only one Jew lives in Balat.

However, the children and grandchildren of Jews who previously worshiped at Yanbol come from wherever they live to participate in services to keep the synagogue running.

There is a cantor at Shabbat services at Yanbol, in which about 45 people attend regularly . Holiday prayers are held at the larger Ahrida.

The forgotten room

A year-and-a half ago renovation work began at Yanbol Synagogue, during which a storage room on the upper floor of the building, closed for decades, was discovered. From then on it was called “forgotten room.”

Unused for many years, hundreds of books, shivitis, rimonim, parochets, fashas, besamim, as well as Torah mantles and binders found in it, have now been restored. Each object and every area of the synagogue has been refurbished and given a new lease on life.

In order to preserve this newly discovered cultural treasure, the objects are now displayed in a permanent exhibition called “Light of Yanbol - Luz de Yanbol” in a room opposite the synagogue’s sanctuary.

Both the synagogue and exhibition opened July 16 after the renovations were completed.

We toured the synagogue and exhibition with photographer Berge Arabian, accompanied by the synagogue’s spiritual leader.

Yanbol, whose courtyard bears traces from the Byzantine period, houses the sanctuary, the exhibition room, a kitchen and a winter garden where breakfast is served after services.

In the courtyard, we were greeted by a painting titled “From Yanbol Bulgaria to Balat Yanbol,” bearing the signature of Seyfi İşman, a well-known contemporary Turkish artist.

Upon entering the synagogue, we first noticed the raised platform (teva or bimah, in Hebrew), from which the Torah is read. Directly across from it is the aron kodesh, a cabinet where the Torah scrolls are kept, decorated with various carvings and shapes, with the tablets of the Ten Commandments at the top.

Other objects found there are menorot and plaques illustrated with Torah verses.

Upon entering the exhibition we came across a legacy steeped in rich Jewish culture. Each religious object and plaque, carefully restored, reveals the vestiges that it has carried from the past to the present.

The first objects we came across were the rimonim, ornamental finials, often shaped like pomegranates, pears, apples or towers that are placed on the wooden handles of a Torah scroll. They are typically made of silver and symbolize abundance.

Next we saw boxes containing aromatic herbs, spices or fruits used during havdala, the ceremony that marks the end of Sabbath.

Other items displayed are Torah scrolls; tsedakah, or charity boxes; mapas, pieces of cloth placed on the table where the Torah is read; parochets, curtains covering the aron kodesh; and Hebrew plaques.

Partial view of the objects displayed in the exhibition "Light of Yanbol`–Luz de Yanbol."

Like brand new

What surprised us most is that so many objects that had been forgotten in a room for so long look brand new after careful restoration.

After the exhibition, we chatted with Nisya İşman Allovi.

Many objects used in synagogue services are featured in the exhibition. What period are these items from?

The majority date to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. During the restoration of Yanbol Synagogue a storage area was found on the upper floor a room that had not been entered for a long time and had been forgotten.

When the fabrics, silver objects, shivitis, numerous documents as well as books were discovered in it, it was understood that we were actually facing a treasure. This discovery initiated the story of “forgotten rooms.”

The objects, so vibrant and well-preserved, are striking. How were they preserved and how did the exhibition idea came to be?

The exhibition idea was first brought up by Moris Levi, Chairman of the Ahrida Synagogues Foundation. The Turkish Jewish Museum of the 500th Year Foundation was consulted, and thanks to having similar collections in our museum, the process progressed quickly. Initially, the objects found were carefully catalogued and then the restoration process began, which lasted a year and a half.

All pieces made of cloth, metal and paper were repaired under expert guidance. The objects were first kept in the museum, then moved back to Yanbol Synagogue for the exhibition.

What kind of collection will visitors find?

All the exhibited objects are used in synagogue rituals.

For example, some of them are mapas, decorated cover mantles often made of fabric that protect the Torah scroll when not in use; the crown (keter) and the decorations (rimonim) placed on it; the curtain that covers the Torah cabinet (parochet); the pointer used when reading Torah (puntero), shivitis, plaques containing excerpts from Torah; oil lamps; spice boxes (besamim); tsedakah boxes to collect money for charity; and the fasha, a strap of fabric used to wrap and secure the Torah scroll when it is not in use.

Each is precious not only ritually but also in terms of cultural memory.

Another striking element in the exhibition are plaques with verses from the Torah. What are these and what do they symbolize?

These are called shiviti, that is, decorative plaques found in Sefrdic synagogues to ensure constant remembrance of the Divine Presence. They usually contain the verse from Psalm 16:8: “I have set God always before me” (Shiviti Adonai l'negdi tamid), used as aids to help the worshiper maintain the appropriate concentration and posture while praying. In some examples, they contain God’s Divine Name (Tetragrammaton) and depict menorot.

Why was it important for you to bring such an exhibition to life?

The Ahrida and Yanbol synagogues are two important witnesses to Istanbul’s Jewish heritage that have survived to the present. These buildings, where worship still continues, witness the magnificent life of the past.

Regarding the exhibition, we don’t need to ask the question we frequently encounter in museology: “Where do these objects come from?” Because we know that all the pieces displayed here are parts of a collection gathered over time from closed synagogues in Balat and preserved under the Ahrida roof. Contributing to this space, which carries the past of Romaniot and Sephardic communities, was both meaningful and demanding work for us.

August 18, 2025