The Slat al-Azama Synagogue or Lazama Synagogue (; ) is a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

congregation and

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

, located in

Marrakesh Marrakesh or Marrakech (; , ) is the fourth-largest city in Morocco. It is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakesh–Safi Regions of Morocco, region. The city lies west of the foothills of the Atlas Mounta ...

Marrakesh-Safi Marrakesh-Safi () is one of the twelve regions of Morocco.Jounaux.ma
Its popul ...

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

. It is located in the historic ''

Mellah A ''mellah'' ( or 'saline area'; and ) is the place of residence historically assigned to Jewish communities in Morocco. The urban ''mellah'', as it exists in numerous cities and large towns, is a Jewish quarter enclosed by a wall and a fortifi ...

'' (Jewish quarter) of the old city.

History

The synagogue was associated with

Sephardic Jews Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...

who were expelled from Spain in 1492 (known as the Megorashim). The synagogue's foundation is likewise traditionally attributed to 1492, though one scholar has indicated that the exact year of establishment has not been verified. The Mellah district in which the synagogue is located was not created until 1557. In any case, the synagogue's current form dates from a more modern restoration. The building is still functioning as a synagogue today. On 8 September 2023, the synagogue and surrounding Jewish quarter were damaged by an

earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...

. No casualties were reported.

Architecture

The synagogue is integrated into a larger building which consisted of a private house with a central courtyard (popularly referred to as a riad). This integration of a synagogue into a private home was typical of most synagogues in the Mellah of Marrakesh as well as in the Mellah of Fez. The synagogue itself has traditional Moroccan decoration such as ''

zellij Zellij (), also spelled zillij or zellige, is a style of mosaic tilework made from individually hand-chiseled tile pieces. The pieces were typically of different colours and fitted together to form various patterns on the basis of tessellations, ...

'' (mosaic tilework). The east side was renovated after the 1950s, with the addition of a wing for women (ezrat nashim), which is unique in Morocco where tradition dictates that women stay in a separate room at the entrance of the synagogue. The original wooden

Torah ark A Torah ark (also known as the ''hekhal'', , or ''aron qodesh'', ) is an ornamental chamber in the synagogue that houses the Torah scrolls. History The ark is also known as the ''ark of law'', or in Hebrew the ''Aron Kodesh'' () or ''aron ha-Kod ...

has been replaced by a marble ark, which is located next to the eastern wall. Notes drawn in the 1950s by architect Yaacov Finkerfeld demonstrate that the space mentioned above did not exist for women and that the interior was divided into two naves by four columns. On the upper floor there is a

yeshiva A yeshiva (; ; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are studied in parallel. The stu ...

References

External links

16th-century synagogues in Morocco Buildings and structures in Marrakesh Jews and Judaism in Marrakesh Sephardi Jewish culture in Africa Sephardi synagogues Spanish diaspora in Africa Spanish-Jewish diaspora Synagogues in Morocco {{Morocco-synagogue-stub

History

Architecture

See also

References

External links