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Ahrida Synagogue

This was built in the 1430s by Grecian Jews ("Romaniotes") from the city of Ohrid, now in North Macedonia. The district of Balat was a Jewish quarter, swelled from 1492 by those expelled from Spain. The synagogue is only open for pre-arranged tours.

Address: Kürkçü Çeşmesi Sk 7
Getting there: Balat 400 m

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Listing from Wikivoyage: Istanbul/Historical Peninsula, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

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St Stephen Church
Sveti Stefan Kilisesi
A remarkable Bulgarian Orthodox church better known as Demir Kilise, "Iron Church", as it's a cast iron prefab. The Bulgarians split from the Greek Orthodox and established their own wooden church in 1870, which burned down. The ground was too weak for a masonry or concrete structure so they opted for cast iron. The sections were cast in Vienna, shipped here and assembled, to open in 1898. The church was renovated in 2018, but the archpatriarchate building across the street remains a gaunt shell.
Daily 09:00-17:00Free
DoHistorical Peninsula
Balat
A neighborhood with colorful houses and stairs all along.
SeeHistorical Peninsula
Fethiye Mosque
Pammakaristos Church
The Church of Theotokos Pammakaristos ("All-Blessed Mother of God") was built between the 11th and 12th centuries. The parekklesion or side-chapel was added maybe 1300, with rich mosaics. The main building became a mosque in 1591, named for Sultan Murad III's conquest (fetih, hence Fethiye) of Georgia and Azerbaijan: the interior was opened up, but the chapel was undisturbed and in modern times became a museum. In 2020 the entire building was proclaimed a mosque, and every scrap of Byzantine artistry was covered up, so now there's nothing worth seeing.
Free
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Phanar Greek Orthodox College
Turkish: Özel Fener Rum Lisesi, Greek: Μεγάλη του Γένους Σχολή
This is the red-brick castle seen south of St George. Built 1881/83, it teaches the standard Turkish curriculum plus Greek language and culture, and the tower houses an observatory. No visits.