Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly inaugurated on Thursday the Ben Azra Synagogue, one of the oldest Jewish temples in Egypt, according to a cabinet statement.
“The restoration included meticulous architectural revamping as well as solutions to address and mitigate risks to the temple’s ceilings, isolating surfaces using the best insulation methods, cleaning stones, and reconfiguring the site to ensure proper visual appreciation of its historical significance. The temple also saw a complete maintenance of the lighting system, cleansing of copper, iron elements and marble columns, and restoration of the archaeological decorations and library,” said Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Ahmed Issa in a statement.
The restoration began in April 2022, according to a statement by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, which indicated at the time that the last restoration of the temple took place in 1991.
“The synagogue is one of the most important and oldest Jewish temples in Egypt, housing numerous valuable books about the customs, traditions, and social life of the Jewish community in Egypt,” the tourism minister explained.
It embraces the “Geniza”, which consists of a collection of books, scrolls, and papers specific to the Egyptian Jewish community, Issa added.
The “Geniza” was discovered in 1890, during a restoration that followed a roof collapse in one of the synagogue’s rooms. Closed from all sides, the roofless room stored books and historic papers for a long time until it was discovered, and the content was transferred to the Cambridge University.
Constructed in the 12th century, the synagogue was named after Abraham ben Meir Ibn Ezra. The rectangular-shaped building stretches over an area of 3,500 meters. It has decoration-free facades, and Basilica interior design boasting three parallel corridors; the largest of them is in the middle, and includes two platforms known as “The Miracle Atlas” and the “Bimah” for prayers.
On the second floor, there is a prayer balcony for women with two rooms for belongings. Behind the synagogue sets a purification well, and the roof and walls of the building are covered with gypsum, and feature Arabesque architectural decorations.
The libraries of the southwestern hallway include six adjacent closets in one rectangular frame, decorated with ivory, shells, and Hebrew carvings.
The Ben Ezra Synagogue saw several restorations, the largest of which was in 1889. At the time, most of the building was demolished and rebuilt again in the same old Basilica style. In 1982, a 10-year comprehensive restoration project was carried out by the Canadian Center for Architecture mission in cooperation with the Supreme Council of Antiquities.
The Ben Ezra Temple is located on Mar Girgis Street, in the Religious Complex, near the Coptic Museum and the Church of Abu Sarga. It was originally a church called Al-Shama'in sold by the Orthodox Church in 882 to the Jewish community.
Recently, Egypt restored several Jewish synagogues and monuments. In 2020, it opened the Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue in Alexandria. Dr. Hussein Abdel Basir, director of the Antiquities Museum at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, told Asharq Al-Awsat that “Egypt has 11 Jewish synagogues, nine in Cairo and two in Alexandria.
On Thursday, the Egyptian Prime Minister attended the opening of several archaeological sites alongside Ben Ezra, including the Babylon Fortress.
Issa explained that the restoration of the Babylon Fortress consisted of the development of its southern part below the Hanging Church, following the first phase of the project, which included cleaning all the external and internal facades of the fort, and the upgrade of the lighting system in various parts.
The minister added that the only remaining parts of the fort's buildings are the front door surrounded by two large towers. The Hanging Church was built over one of the two towers, and the Saint George Greek Orthodox Cathedral (Melkites) was built over the other.
