Ben Ezra Synagogue
30°00′21″N 31°13′52″E / 30.0057944°N 31.2310222°E
Ben Ezra Synagogue | |
---|---|
Sephardic | |
Location | |
Location | Cairo, Egypt |
Geographic coordinates | 30°00′21″N 31°13′52″E / 30.0058°N 31.2310°E |
Architecture | |
Completed | 1892 |
Specifications | |
Length | 17 meters (56 ft) |
Width | 11.3 meters (37 ft) |
The Ben Ezra Synagogue (
This was the synagogue whose
History
Outline
Ben Ezra as an institution is ancient, and has occupied at least three buildings in its history. There have been many major and minor renovations. The current building dates to the 1890s.[3]
Establishment
The founding date of the Ben Ezra Synagogue is not known, although there is good evidence from documents found in the geniza that it predates 882 CE and is probably pre-Islamic.
Little is known about the original building. In about 1012, Fatimid caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah ordered the destruction of all Jewish and Christian places of worship. The original Ben Ezra Synagogue was torn down, "its bricks and timber sold for scrap".[4]
Second building (11th century – 1168)
The next caliph,
Geniza
Historically, synagogues have included a genizah, or repository for abandoned or outdated documents containing the name of God, since Jewish teaching is that such papers had to be stored with reverence, and then eventually buried in a cemetery. The 11th-century building incorporated an unusually large geniza, "two stories high, more silo than attic – with a rooftop opening accessible from above."[4] Some documents added to it had been stored in the previous building, and the oldest dated document is about 150 years older than the geniza itself. Documents continued to accumulate there for about 850 years. The diverse collection of documents included rabbinical texts, historical accounts, and religious and secular poems, dating from the sixth century through the nineteenth century CE.[7]
1168 fire
In 1168, a deliberately set fire destroyed much of the city of Fustat, where the synagogue was then located.[3] Fustat is now a part of Cairo. The Islamic vizier Shawar ordered the city burned to prevent it from falling into the hands of an invading Christian Crusader army. Saladin, who became Sultan of Egypt shortly thereafter, ordered the rebuilding of Fustat.[3]
Third building
Maimonides in Fustat (1168–1204)
Also in 1168, the Jewish philosopher, physician and astronomer Maimonides settled in Fustat, within a short walk of Ben Ezra Synagogue. He lived there until his death in 1204.[8] Maimonides became Nagid, or leader of the Egyptian Jewish community in 1171, and worshipped at Ben Ezra.[9] Many of the geniza documents, including some in his own handwriting, discuss his life and work, and are the most important primary biographical sources for him.[8]
Torah ark
The style of the carving on the Torah ark door is incompatible with that of the
The door also has traces of paint that conservators have identified as being no older than 19th century.[6] It is known that the synagogue was renovated in the 1880s,[6] completely rebuilt in the early 1890s,[3] and then remodeled in the early 20th century.[6]
Discovery of the geniza and fourth building
Dwindling congregation
Egypt's Jewish community is at the end of a dramatic decline, from about 80,000 people in the 1920s to less than a dozen of Egyptian ancestry now residing in Cairo.[10] Accordingly, the Ben Ezra Synagogue functions now as a tourist attraction and museum, rather than as a functioning congregation.
Renovations
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly inaugurated the synagogue on 31 August 2023 following a decade-long renovation.[11][12] The renovation was completed by the Drop of Milk Association that works to preserve Egyptian Jewish heritage. The synagogue's ceiling was reinforced to prevent collapse, the library was heavily restored, and the building was further cleaned and insulated. Given the small population of Egyptian Jews, the renovation was largely done to improve tourism to the synagogue.
See also
References
- ISBN 978-0-521-81974-9. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
- ^ "Finally, there is the Ben Ezra Synagogue, with its cool marble floors. Lore has it that the Nile once flowed up behind the synagogue, and there, in the reeds, baby Moses was hidden." Slackman, Michael. "36 Hours in Cairo", The New York Times, February 3, 2008.
- ^ ISBN 9781317320326.
- ^ ISBN 9781580235129.
- ISBN 9780805242904.
- ^ a b c d e Wecker, Menachem (March 27, 2013). "What Lay Behind Maimonides' Door in Cairo's Ben Ezra Synagogue". The Forward. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
- ^ Lyons, M. (2011). Books: A Living History. Getty Publications.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-385-52851-1.
- ^ "The Ben Ezra Synagogue, Cairo, Egypt". Museum of the Jewish People. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
- ^ "Egypt's Jewish community buries deputy leader: In the past 90 years, the number of Jews in Egypt has fallen from 80,000 to fewer than 40". Al Jazeera. March 12, 2014. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
- ^ Look, Aimee (2023-09-04). "One of the world's oldest synagogues reopens in Egypt". CNN. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
- ^ "Egypt unveils restoration of ancient 12th century Egyptian synagogue". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
External links
- Cambridge University Library: The Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit – photo of the Ben Ezra Synagogue after restoration
- The Ben Ezra Synagogue, Cairo, The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot