Beauty of the traditional
Bikur Holim Synagogue
The twice burnt synagogue was rebuilt in 1800, again by the Ciaves Family. About a century later, large part of its front garden got confiscated for the main street. Today, it is behind a simple outer wall and gate, indistinguishable from the outside. Entered through Beit Midrash (study hall), the building still stands as a good example of the local Sephardic Ottoman synagogues. This first part is split from the main praying area through a glass windowed wall. Both sections, in the center, have their own prayer platforms, named Tevah (Sephardic use for Bimah). The plafond has geometric decoration with wooden laths (“çıtakâri” in Turkish) as well as flower designs stenciled and painted (“kalemişi” in Turkish). Embellished columns and comfortably cushioned seats centering the Tevah make the principal praying hall very colorful. The combination of all turns this synagogue into an enchanting place to worship.
As seen on
Izmir: The First Juderia
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