Look for a grand cream-colored building with big arched windows, pretty columns, and a Star of David up high above the entrance-just walk up the wide steps to spot it right in front of you.
Welcome to the Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue, where every stone and echo tells a tale! Imagine yourself back in 1354-old Alexandria buzzing with life, prayers drifting through the air. But in 1798, Napoleon’s army crashed the party-literally-bombing the original synagogue into rubble. Yet, the story didn’t end there. In 1836, thanks to the pockets of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty and some help from the famous Sir Moses Haim Montefiore, a shining new synagogue began to rise from the ashes. By 1850, the building before you was finished, flaunting Neoclassical elegance mixed with flashes of Gothic and Byzantine flair-clearly, they couldn’t decide on just one style, so they chose them all!
Fast-forward to more recent times: the doors closed in 2012 for security reasons, and silence crept in. Luckily, in 2017, the Egyptian government-and worldwide friends-vowed to restore this treasure. Now, it's rededicated and sparkling, guarding stories of a dwindling but proud Jewish community. Services are rare, but the spirit of Eliyahu Hanavi still whispers through these halls, a secret waiting to surprise every visitor!
