The history of the jews in Anatolia goes back to the 4C BC. Some ancient synagogue ruins have also been found in Sardis dating from 220BC. When the Ottomans captured Bursa in 1324 and made it their capital, they found and welcomed a Jewish community which had been oppressed under Byzantine rule. The Balkan Jews were aware of the Ottoman tolerance towards other religions and migrated to Ottoman territories. Later Ashkenazi Jews fled to Anatolia, followed by Byzantine jews and received by Mehmet II. Also in 1492 safety was offered to the refugees of the Spanish Inquisition. Throughout history, Jews have not only found religious asylum in Turkey, but also become part of its society and assumed important roles in different fields. Today over 26.000 Jewish people live in Turkey. The vast majority live in Istanbul, with a community of about 2,500 in İzmir and other smaller groups are located mainly in Adana, Ankara, Bursa, Canakkale, Iskenderun and Kırklareli. The jewish minority is more complex than other minorities because it lacks homogeneity in language and history. Most Jews are Sephardic whose ancestors fled from the Inquisition or were expelled from Spain and Portugal during and after 1492. In general they speak different mother tongues, such as Turkish, Ladino or French.
