The Ahrida Synagogue Located in Istanbul's Balat neighborhood, the Ahrida Synagogue is among the city's oldest synagogues. It was built by a group called the Romaniotes who originated from North Macedonia and were an Orthodox Christian Greek Jewish community dating back to the 15th century. They immigrated to Constantinople, which was part of the Ottoman Empire, about five centuries ago. In 1492, Sephardic Jews fleeing from the Iberian Peninsula, including Spain and Portugal, also arrived in the Ottoman Empire, bringing with them their Jewish traditions, rituals, and culture. Over time, the Romaniotes in Istanbul, like many other communities including those in Thessaloniki, assimilated into Sephardic culture, adopting Sephardic liturgy and language. The Ahrida Synagogue, one of the two ancient synagogues in Istanbul's Golden Horn, was renovated in 1992 by the Quincentennial Foundation to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Sephardic Jews to the Ottoman Empire. The Ahrida Synagogue is known for its boat-shaped tevah, or reading platform, which is also known as a bimah in Ashkenazi communities. It is the only synagogue in Istanbul where Sabbatai Zevi, the founder of the Jewish Sabbatean movement, once prayed.