Cairo
The Synagogue is attributed to the Cordoban Jewish Moses ben Maimon, who was born in 1135 AD in Cordoba, Andalusia, and died in Egypt in 1204 AD. He was an accomplished scholar of Jewish religious sciences, medicine, mathematics, and philosophy, and is said to have been the private physician of sultan Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi’s family.
This Synagogue was built in the same place where Maimonides settled in Egypt until his death and was buried in one of the rooms attached to the Synagogue. The Synagogue building underwent reconstruction and restoration operations, the most prominent of which was the restoration that took place during the period from 2007 to 2010 AD by the Supreme Council of Antiquities.
The entrance to the Synagogue is located in the northwest corner of its marble facade. Above the entrance is a figure in the form of an open book representing the two tablets of the Ten Commandments in Hebrew. Above it is an inscription in Arabic that reads: “The synagogue and shrine of Maimonides Harambam” and its translation in Hebrew. The entrance leads to a courtyard containing two doors. One leads to the synagogue while the other leads to the synagogue annexes.
The inside of the synagogue is a rectangle, and it is the part designated for prayer and religious rituals, where the marble platform (bimah) is located in the middle, which used for preach and read the Torah. The sanctuary is located on the eastern wall and contains the Torah cabinet made of wood for preserving the books of the Torah. At the top of the western wall of the synagogue is the women's section, which overlooks the synagogue and the bimah through three windows.
The second door in the courtyard leads to the annexes of the synagogue, which are rooms, the largest of which is divided into three parts which is called Yeshiva which Moses ben Maimon is believed to have used to teach the members of the sect the lessons of Jewish law. which is the tomb of Moses ben Maimon before his remains were transferred to Tiberias in Palestine, and patients used to stay in to seek recovery. In addition to the presence of a water well that used for purification and supplying water to the synagogue. Ajacent to this room are room for the clergy and bathrooms.
