Özet:

Edirne province which is also mentioned in history by other names such as “the borderline, the capital, Ottoman, Selimiye, Balkans, Thrace and Rumeli” has a geopolitical and strategic position with its geography surrounded by Aegean Sea, Bulgaria, Greece, Tekirdağ, Kırklareli and Çanakkale. From the standpoint of History of Religions, it has a multidirectional character with the attribute of being a host to minority cultures. In this respect, Edirne had become one of the most important provinces with Istanbul and Bursa during the Ottoman period. Edirne, which was a center of culture, science, religions and arts, had not only provided these opportunities to its Muslim population but also to the Jews settled there after their expulsion from Spain and Portugal. The first settlement dates of the Jews in Edirne go back to the times of Byzantine Empire, and their number increased in the city with the incoming exiles during the reign of Bayezid II. When the Jews settled there, they became involved in the activities of the city with their trade and wealth and benefited luxuriantly from the freedom of religion which the Ottoman Empire had provided for them and for the other minorities. In Edirne, they had built fourteen synagogues and worshiped in them freely and performed without concern the religious rituals like the study of the sacred books and the consumption of kosher food. Our article is about Edirne memoirs of Rabbi Yosef ben Efraim Caro who had an important place in the culture of this city during his lifetime. The Jewish religious scholar Yosef Karo was known by the Jews invited to the Ottoman Empire in the XVI. century as one of the most important figures of the golden age of this community.

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