Ben Ezra synagogue, the oldest synagogue in Cairo is located just outside the walls of the intriguing Coptic enclave in Cairo and in walking distance from the famous Hanging Church. The original building was constructed around the 9th century and in the 12th century converted into a synagogue by Abraham Ben Ezra, the rabbi of Jerusalem. At that time, there was an increasingly large Jewish community in Cairo.
It is a beautiful place with stone floors, a wood-carved ceiling, and hanging chandeliers. Its history is fascinating: two hundred fifty thousand ancient manuscripts and scrolls were uncovered in a hidden ‘genizah’ storeroom in the synagogue, which has provided much information about the life of the Jewish community. Legend has it also the place where the baby Moses was found on the Nile, and where Mary got water to wash Jesus. Ben Ezra is more of a tourist attraction and a reminder of a lost era, than a functioning synagogue
