Egypt inaugurates the Ben Ezra Synagogue after its restoration
Egyptian Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly inaugurated (Thursday) the Ben Ezra Temple, after the completion of its restoration project. Ben Ezra is one of the oldest synagogues in Egypt, according to a statement by the Egyptian Cabinet.
The Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Ahmed Issa, said in the statement, “The project included careful architectural restoration work, as well as work to treat and prevent danger to the roofs of the temple, isolate surfaces with the best methods, clean and treat stones, and re-coordinate the site in an appropriate manner that allows visual vision of the monument, in addition to maintenance.” The entire lighting system, the cleaning of copper and iron units and marble columns, as well as the work of restoring antique decorations and the library.
Side of the opening of the Jewish Temple (Egyptian Cabinet)
The restoration work of the temple 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 was in 1991.
The Minister of Tourism and Antiquities added that “the (Ben Ezra) Synagogue is one of the most important synagogues in Egypt,” explaining that it contains many valuable books related to the customs, traditions and social life of the Jews in Egypt.
The temple housed the (geniza) of the Jews in Egypt, which is a collection of their books, scrolls and papers, which are of importance to scholars and researchers interested in the social life of the Jews in Egypt, according to the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities.
The discovery of the “Geniza” dates back to 1890, during restoration operations in the temple, following the collapse of the ceiling of a room inside it, which is a closed room on all sides except for the top, where books and papers were stored for a long time until they were discovered and transferred to the British University of Cambridge.
The Ben Ezra Temple is attributed to Abraham Ben Ezra in the 12th century AD, and it was rebuilt in the 19th century. The most spacious of them, there are two platforms, the first is known as the “Miracle Atlas”, and the second is the “Pima” prayer platform.
Ben Ezra Synagogue from the inside (Egyptian Cabinet)
On the second floor there is a balcony for women’s prayer and it occupies three sides, and at its two ends there are two rooms for belongings, including the “geniza”. There is also a well behind the temple for purity, with which ablution is performed before entering the temple, especially the washing of the feet. ), and in the middle of the temple is the prayer booth (the platform), that is, the bema, which is made of marble.
The libraries of the southwestern gallery include 6 adjacent cupboards united by one rectangular frame, and they are decorated with ivory and mother-of-pearl and have inscriptions in the Hebrew language.
The Ben Ezra Temple witnessed a number of restoration works, the most important of which was in 1889. Most of the building was demolished and rebuilt in the same old style, which is the basilica. In 1982, comprehensive restoration works were carried out by the Canadian Center for Architecture mission in cooperation with the Supreme Council of Antiquities, which took about 10 years. Years.
The Ben Ezra Temple is located on Mar Gerges Street in the Complex of Religions in Ancient Egypt, near the Coptic Museum and the Church of Abu Sarga. It was originally a church called Al-Shama’in and sold by the Orthodox Church in 882 to the Jewish community.
Recently, Egypt has worked to restore a number of synagogues and Jewish monuments, and in 2020 opened the Eliyahu Hanbi Synagogue in Alexandria. Dr. Hussein Abdel-Basir, director of the Antiquities Museum at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, told Asharq Al-Awsat that “Egypt has 11 synagogues, 9 in Cairo, And 2 in Alexandria.
Magra El Oyoun Wall Tower (Egyptian Cabinet)
On Thursday, the Egyptian Prime Minister witnessed the inauguration of a number of archaeological sites, in addition to Ibn Ezra, which are the tower of the socket of the Magra Al-Oyoun wall, which dates back to the era of Nasser Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi, and the Babylon Fortress.
Issa explained that the project to restore the “Fort of Babylon” included the development of the southern part of it located below the Hanging Church, called the Amr Gate, after the completion of the first phase of the project, which included cleaning all the external and internal facades of the fort, and the works also included the development of the lighting system in various parts. The fort, which contributed to the emergence of the architectural beauty of the fort, adding that the walls were treated and their beams were painted.
The Egyptian Prime Minister inaugurates the ancient tower of the socket of the ancient Magra Al-Oyoun wall (Egyptian Cabinet)
The minister added that nothing remains of the fort’s buildings except for the tribal door surrounded by two large towers, and the Hanging Church was built over one of the two towers in the tribal part, and over the tower at the entrance to the tribal museum was the Roman Church of Saint George of the Greek Orthodox (Melkites).
