Pictures of the Places We Couldn't Take Pictures (Pt. 2)

Continuing our memories of the places we weren't allowed to take pictures on our recent sojourn in Egypt, right nearby the Church of the Holy Family (featured yesterday) is today's site.

The Ben Ezra Synagogue

The famous Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo was originally a Christian church, which the Coptic Christians of Cairo had to sell to the Jews in 882 AD in order to pay the annual taxes imposed by the Muslim rulers of the time. The church was purchased by Abraham Ben Ezra, who came from Jerusalem during the reign of Ahmed Ibn Tulun, for 20,000 dinars.

The synagogue was a place of pilgrimage for North African Jews and the site of major festival celebrations. The famous medieval rabbi Moses Maimonides worshipped at Ben Ezra synagogue when he lived in Cairo.