A Jewish mystic from Izmir who claimed to be the long awaited Jewish Messiah, initiating one of the largest messianic movements in history in the seventeenth century and later converting to Islam under the name Aziz Mehmet Efendi, thereby founding the Dönme community.

Nathan of Gaza was the prophet of Sabbatai Zevi and one of the principal architects of Sabbateanism. A pivotal figure in Jewish mystical history, he is best known for his role as the prophetic herald of Sabbatai Zevi, the 17th-century Jewish messianic claimant.

Also known as Osman Nuri Efendi or Osman Baba, was the founding father and spiritual leader of the Karakash community.

Dervish Efendi, born Judah Levi Tova, was a seminal religious thinker, mystic, and social reformer within the 18th-century Dönme community of the Ottoman Empire.

Sarim Kibar was born in 1873 in Salonica as a member of a Karakash family. Along with his brothers Hikmet, Osman Fettan, Riza, and Fadil, he headed commercial enterprises known as “Kibar Ali Mahdumlar” (or “Kibar Ali Brothers”), which operated in Salonica and Istanbul.

He was a politician, economist, and writer. Born into the prominent Baruchia Russo (Osman Baba) family in Salonica, he was educated at the Şemsi Efendi School.

Mehmed Esad Dede was born to the family of “Avdeti” Hanuş Hanım and Receb Efendi (Paşarel) Bey, a merchant and one of the key figures in establishing the Terakki schools.

Kazim Emin Bey [Turmak] was a prominent Kapandji Donme, one of the biggest tobacco merchants, and the founder of the legendary TURMAC (Turkish-Macedonian Tobacco Company).

Mehmed Karakaşzade Osman Rüştü Efendi was a member of the Karakaş branch of the Salonika community, a prominent family of the time.

Osman Hasan, a painter born in Thessaloniki in the early 1900s, his father Hasan a grocery and haberdashery (hoisery) shop owner in Thessaloniki.

The Bezmen family's fabric trade, established between Manchester and Thessaloniki in the late 18th century, flourished under Halil Ali's entrepreneurial vision.

Journalist, author and professor. His father, Osman Tevfik, was one of the calligraphy teachers of Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk)

Coming from a prominent tobacco family, Veli Derviş established a tobacco branch in Vienna, Austria.

Born into a Karakaş family Istanbul in 1916, he was a pioneering figure in Turkish theater, celebrated as an actor, director, writer, educator, and voice actor.

Aziz Basmacı was born on June 9, 1910, into a Kapancı family in Ottoman Salonica. After relocating to Istanbul, he completed his education at Şişli Terakki High School.

One of Azra’s defining qualities was her ability to adapt to every environment and situation she encountered, enriching her personality without ever losing her essence.

Abdi İpekçi was a journalist and human rights activist. He was born into the prominent Karakaş merchant family of the İpekçis, which produced many notable merchants, intellectuals.

Seyyan Hanım was born in 1913 in Thessaloniki, the only daughter in a family of Karakaş heritage with five children. While some sources list her birthplace as Istanbul, family accounts indicate she was born in Thessaloniki.

Pamir Bezmen was born into an immigrant Kapanci family from Salonica. His father was Mehmet Cazím, mother was Ayse Sermin Bezmen, daughter of famous industrialist, Halil Ali Bezmen.