Ezra Synagogue

The first floor plan

<!--<!--<!--<!-- Ben

The second floor plan

<!--<!--<!--<!--This synagogue stands among the churches in old Cairo near Kasr El Shamaa as it once was a church but was sold to the Jews in order to be able to pay the taxes imposed on the Copts by Ahmed Ibn Tulun at the value of 20000 gold dinars annually. The Jews believe that originally this synagogue belonged to them before becoming a church as they claim that Moses the prophet lived there and that the original synagogue was destroyed and the church of angel Michael was built as a part of the hanging church. The Jews also believes that Moses and Jeremiah knelt in this place thus the Guenizah was built inside.

Guenizah: it is a safe place for keeping Moses Torah put by Ezra the scribe

The synagogue is named after him and after Rabbi Ibrahim ben Ezra who visited Egypt and rebuilt the synagogue. It is also called Shameien church or Palactenian church or Genaza synagogue or Eliaho church

The most famous items in the synagogue are:

<!--Moses Atlas; the Miracle Rick or Jeremiah’s Rick or Jeremiah’s tomb

<!--An old Torah written on deer skin

<!--An arabesque ceiling

<!--The Guenizah place

<!--A wood clock on which is carved a kuffic writing referring to Amr Inb El Aas’s visit to the area

<!--A e drawing of a seven branched candelabra on deer skin

<!--The spring (Mikva)

Description of the first floor:

It is a two storey building with the entrance to the north. It is one of the three old doors of the synagogue. There used to be a big door and two other small ones. They are facing the Torah closet so the visitor should bow to it. There is the Mezuzah on the entrance of the synagogue. The synagogue is rectangular in shape measuring 16.98 X 11.30 meters. It is divided into three parts. The biggest is the middle one which is on a basilica. These parts are divided by steel bars painted in marble like color. The first floor is for men while the second is for women. At the end of the first floor there is the Torah chapel reached by four steps. At the four edges of the building there are four heads above short rectangular elements.

The Torah chapel has a wooden frame and wooden side walls with an arch above the closet.

The lector platform is in front of the sanctuary. The rabbi stands on it to read the Torah. It is octagonal in shape made out of white marble. The eighth side facing the sanctuary has a copper fence for the Torah roll to rest upon. Opposite to this side there are the stairs leading to the sanctuary.

The Memorial stela is in front of the platform it is built higher than the surface of the floor. In the middle there is a higher part that consists of two semi-circular arches carried on 3 pillars. Between the arches there is a wreath of flowers that goes back to the age of Rocco or Barok with bright golden color. On the columns there are five parted roses above them two straight elements ending with the same roses. Both side columns end with bulb shape with a bar extending out of it. The sides of the columns are twisted outwards and end with a hexagonal parted golden rose. Below the arches there is a text in Hebrew statement of Moses in golden color: “when I get out of the city I’ll raise my hands to god, the thunder stops and there will be no cold too, just to know that the earth is owned by god”.   

There are two windows in the first floor next to the chapel and two other windows next to the marble memorial stela. The religious symbolism of the windows lies in the description of Prophet Daniel of his prayer in a room with windows facing Jerusalem. Also the Torah warned not to pray in a room with no windows. Another opinion says that there should be 12 windows in a synagogue corresponding to the 12 tribes as the windows allow the one who is praying to see the sky and if there is a wall before the windows it should be dropped or six feet far for the sake of light.

There are two rooms on the sides of the Holy Ark. In the side walls of the first floor there are three closets in the walls with wooden doors decorated with geometrical patterns of hexagonal stars made of ivory.

Description of the second floor:

It is reached by a staircase from outside the building and a corridor that leads to the secret door or the women door. An aisle turns round three sides of the chapel and contains five columns made of steel

The Geniza room is in the southeastern side. It has no door but a high opening near the ceiling. There is a room on the other side.

The floor has five windows on each side. There is a door on the north side of the passage facing the box of laws and leads to a balcony. The balcony and the synagogue ceiling are decorated with floral decorations. The walls of this floor are decorated with floral figures named the Hatay and geometrical patterns of hexagonal stars.

Around the synagogue there are some annexes. Among them is the Mekva; purification basin above it there is the Jewish school. There is a building in front of the synagogue to keep valuable items and was used as the dwelling place of the rabbis in the past. Behind the synagogue there is an old well with an edge covered with iron grid with floral patterns.

Decoration of the synagogue