Ibn Danan Synagogue

The Ibn Danan Synagogue (; ) is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in Fes, Fès-Meknès, Morocco. The synagogue is located in the Mellah district within Fes el-Jdid, one of the components of the historic medina of Fes.

The first synagogue on the site was completed in the 17th century; and has been destroyed, either in part or completely, and restored on several occasions. After a prolonged period of renovation and restoration, the synagogue reopened in 1999.

History

The synagogue's construction has been dated to the early 17th century or to the late 17th century. It was originally built by Mimon Boussidan, a wealthy ''toshavim. Like most of the Mellah's synagogues, it was likely destroyed or severely damaged on certain occasions and then rebuilt by the community. It was first destroyed in 1646 by the Saadi sultan Muhammad al-Shaykh al-Saghir and was rebuilt by 1701. It was probably damaged during the persecution of the Fassi Jewish community in 1790 and then repaired again.

From 1812 until the synagogue's closure in the 1960s, its rabbis all came from the Danan family. This family dynasty of rabbis can be traced back as far as Granada (present-day Spain) in the 15th century. The family probably fled from North Africa to Granada in the 15th century before returning to Morocco in 1492 following the expulsion of Jews from Spain. The synagogue is now named after Rabbi Shlomo Ibn Danan, one of the members of this family who oversaw the synagogue during the early 20th century.

One early restoration of the synagogue is known to have taken place in the 1870s. More recently, the Jewish community of Fez has also struggled for its preservation, and successfully nominated the building to the 1996 World Monuments Watch of the World Monuments Fund. According to the Fund, the plaster was peeling, the roofs were collapsing, the waterlogged beams were rotting, and windows were broken and missing. The organization helped restore the synagogue with funding from American Express and in collaboration with Morocco's Ministry of Culture and the Judeo-Moroccan Cultural Heritage Foundation (''Fondation du Patrimoine Culturel Judeo-Marocain'')."Rabbi Shlomo Ibn Danan Synagogue"
World Monuments Fund Following the restoration, the synagogue reopened in 1999.

Architecture

The synagogue was once only one of several inside the walls of Fes, and not the most elaborate. It is entered through a simple doorway indistinguishable from the doors of nearby houses. The door leads immediately to a short flight of stairs that lead into the high, rectangular space of the synagogue.Zack, Joel, ''The Synagogues of Morocco; An Architectural and Preservation Survey'', Jewish Heritage Council and World Monuments Fund, New York, August, 1993, pp. 29–32 ff. The construction is brick masonry and lime mortar, coated with plaster. The synagogue was built against the outer wall of the Mellah in a space where other amenities for the local community were historically located. Unlike many of Fez's other historic synagogues, this one was built originally built as a place of prayer rather than as a house that was subsequently converted into a synagogue.

The main room inside the synagogue is divided by a row of three pillars. The interior is lit by small windows high in the walls. Photos taken in 1954 show a ceiling hung with numerous memorial lamps, now vanished. The wooden ceiling is beamed and painted. The walls are wainscotted with blue figured Moroccan tiles. The large Torah ark (''hekhal''), a cupboard filling the width of an entire wall, is made of carved wood. The wall above is decorated with intricately carved plaster work. Opposite the Torah ark is a raised alcove, separated from the main prayer space by a wooden screen elaborately carved with a series of arches. It was intended as a seating area for the congregation's more distinguished members. The ''bimah'' (or ''tevah'') is accessed from this space, constructed as a small platform cantilevered out form the raised area. The wooden ''bimah'' is topped by a wrought iron canopy of Islamic-style arches and floral forms, culminating in a crown.

Under the main hall is a subterranean vaulted chamber reached by a narrow staircase, which was rediscovered during restoration in the late 1990s. This chamber probably served as a cellar, while a passage to its side also gives access to a ''mikveh'' or bath for ritual ablutions, with access to a water source. Originally, the ''mikveh'' was probably open to the outside within a courtyard or at the end of an alley, but at a later point it was closed off due to the construction of new structures against the wall of the synagogue. The stairway was thus created from inside the synagogue to allow continued access.

Gallery

Ibn Danan Synagogue DSCF5062.jpg, Interior of the synagogue
Ibn Danan Synagogue DSCF5081.jpg, Wall containing the ''hekhal''. Traditional ''zellij'' tiles are visible along the lower wall and carved stucco decoration is seen around and above.
معبد ابن دنان 2.jpg, The ''hekhal'' containing the ''Sefer Torah''
معبد ابن دنان 3.jpg, Detail of the stucco decoration
Ibn Danan Synagogue DSCF5087.jpg, View of the '' bimah'' (center left) and the raised alcove room
معبد ابن دنان 7.jpg, The ''mechitza'' balcony, a space for women to worship
Ibn Danan Synagogue DSCF5098.jpg, The underground cellar which leads to the ''mikveh'' (ritual bath)

See also

* History of the Jews in Morocco
* List of synagogues in Morocco

References

External links

"The Ibn Danan Synagogue, Fez, Morocco"
The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot

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17th-century synagogues in Morocco
Buildings and structures in Fez, Morocco
Judaism in Fez
Orthodox Judaism in North Africa
Orthodox synagogues in Africa
Rebuilt synagogues
Sephardi synagogues
Synagogues in Morocco
Tourist attractions in Fez, Morocco