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 or the late 16th century.
The synagogue was in regular use until 1975, when it was closed due to financial constraints. Researchers who visited in 1996 found it abandoned and in danger of demolition. However, according to the Turkish government, the building is still used for special events and for washing the dead.
The Geruş Synagogue, an active synagogue, is also located in Bursa.
^ "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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Media related to Büyük Sinagog at Wikimedia Commons
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