The Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo, famed for once housing the “Cairo Geniza,” a treasure trove of Jewish communal documents, was reinaugurated last month after an extensive restoration project. The Ben Ezra is one of the oldest and most important synagogues in Egypt, believed to date to 882 CE, although the building itself has been damaged and rebuilt several times through the centuries.

The geniza documents were discovered in 1896 by Jewish scholar Solomon Schechter, who reportedly climbed a rickety ladder into an attic-like opening behind a wall in the synagogue’s upstairs women’s section and discovered hundreds of thousands of items that have provided insight into the life and activity of the community. The material has been distributed to more than 70 institutions and collections around the world.                                                         Times of Israel photo