The Mayor Synagogue (Turkish: Sinagoga Mayor), or Synagogue Mejor, is a former Jewish congregation and synagogue located on Arap Şükrü (Sakarya) Street in Bursa, Turkey. No longer used as a synagogue, the building is used as a mikveh.
History
The congregation was founded by Jews who settled in the Ottoman Empire after being expelled from Majorca. The present building was built in the 15th century[2] or the late 16th century.[3]
The synagogue was in regular use until 1975, when it was closed due to financial constraints.[2] Researchers who visited in 1996 found it abandoned and in danger of demolition.[3] However, according to the Turkish government, the building is still used for special events and for washing the dead.[4]
The Geruş Synagogue, an active synagogue, is also located in Bursa.[5][6]
^ ab"Çevre Durum Raporu 07" [State of the Environment Report 07] (PDF). Bursa Çevre ve Orman İl Müdürlüğü [Bursa Environmental and Forestry Provincial Directorship] (in Turkish). 2007. p. 145. Archived from the original(PDF) on October 9, 2011. Retrieved October 6, 2009.
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