Spiritual · Cairo
Ben Ezra Synagogue
A historic synagogue in Fustat, Old Cairo, famed for the Geniza store room that preserved some 400,000 manuscripts.
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The story
The synagogue stands in the Fustat part of Old Cairo, and local folklore places it on the spot where the baby Moses was found. Some accounts say it began as a church that was sold to the Jewish community, although its exact founding date is uncertain, and it is named after Ezra the Scribe. Because the Jewish population of Egypt is now small, it is no longer an active place of worship and serves mainly as a tourist site and Jewish museum. In the 19th century its store room was found to hold a treasure of forgotten manuscripts in several languages, known as the Cairo Geniza.
Good to know
- The Cairo Geniza comprises about 400,000 items, most now kept at Cambridge University Library.
- The synagogue is no longer active and is today a tourist site and Jewish museum.