The prayer hall
Towering marble columns and stained glass.
Roland Unger — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Marsupium — CC BY 4.0 · Marsupium — CC BY 4.0 · Marsupium — CC BY 4.0 · Marsupium — CC BY 4.0
The Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue stands on Nabi Daniel Street in central Alexandria, one of the city's oldest and best-known synagogues and among the largest in the Middle East. Today it is a restored historic building where services are held for a very small community, and visitors come for what it says about the city's mixed past. The present building replaced an earlier synagogue completed in 1354, which was destroyed by the bombardment of Napoleon's army in 1798 during the French invasion. Construction began again in 1836 with contributions from the Muhammad Ali dynasty and finished in 1850 with help from Sir Moses Montefiore. The World Monuments Fund listed it as at risk in 2018; the Egyptian government then restored it and it was rededicated in January 2020. The style is Neoclassical with touches of Gothic and Byzantine Revival. Inside, the towering marble columns and green and violet stained glass windows catch the eye first. The synagogue also holds a valuable library with about 50 old Torah scrolls and books, some from the 15th century, though these are not always shown. Keep shoulders and knees covered, and ask before taking photos. The synagogue is 600 m from the Graeco-Roman Museum and 700 m from Kom el-Dikka in a straight line, so it fits a walk around central Alexandria. Don't count on fixed hours, as entry involves a security check; mornings give the best chance of getting in.
Towering marble columns and stained glass.
Reopened after a state restoration.
A walk through central Alexandria.
69 Nabi Daniel Street, central Alexandria
Graeco-Roman MuseumAlexandria's oldest museum, founded in 1892 and opened in its present building w7 minutes walk4.7
Kom el-DikkaThe largest above-ground archaeological site in Alexandria, in the heart of the 8 minutes walk4.2
Alexandria National MuseumA museum in an elegant Italian-style mansion on Tariq al-Horreya in central Alex15 minutes walk4.3
Alexandria CornicheThe coastal road that curves along Alexandria's shore for some twenty kilometres17 minutes walk4.5
Bibliotheca AlexandrinaThe new Library of Alexandria, a revival of the memory of the ancient Library of17 minutes walk4.5Visitors are generally admitted after a security check with a passport, but times are not fixed and some are turned away, so leave some slack in your plans.
Yes, though rarely, because Alexandria's Jewish community is very small today. Most people come to see it as a historic landmark.