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The Ottoman Empire conquered the Land of Israel in 1517, and twenty years later Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent built the walls around Jerusalem. The local Jewish community prospered. A rabbinic and kabbalist center blossomed in Safed and Rabbi Joseph Karo compiled the Shulchan Aruch there. Although the situation of the Jews took a turn for the worse in the 17th century, many continued to come from foreign lands. Most settled in the four holy cities: Jerusalem, Tiberias, Safed and hebron.
