Shar Hashamaim Synagogue

Cairo


One of the few remaining testaments to Cairo’s once-thriving Jewish community, this art-nouveau-meets-ancient-Egypt Sephardic synagogue is very seldom used, and the heavy police presence makes for a rather tense scene. When it opened in 1899, there was a large Jewish community in Cairo, but the last time the synagogue was full was in the 1960s. Casual visitors, unfortunately, haven't been able to enter for years, but you can admire the beautiful facade in full from across the road.


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