Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue

The Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue is one of the largest in the Middle East, a monument to the once-flourishing Jewish community of Alexandria. Standing on Nabi Daniel Street in the city centre, the present basilica-like building dates largely to 1850, rebuilt after an earlier synagogue on the site was damaged, and it was comprehensively restored and reopened in 2020.

The interior is grand and luminous. Rows of tall columns in Italianate style march down a vast nave toward the ark, beneath a high ceiling and coloured-glass windows, while galleries above once accommodated a congregation numbering in the thousands. The scale speaks to a community that, in its heyday, was among the most prosperous and cosmopolitan in the Mediterranean world.

Its restoration was a significant cultural event. With Alexandria's Jewish population now tiny, the state-led conservation preserved the synagogue as heritage for the whole city, safeguarding its marble floors, carved ark and rows of wooden pews. Visiting it is a way to read a chapter of Alexandria's multicultural past that is often overlooked.

The building sits among the central sights, a short walk from the Cavafy Museum and the classical excavations, making it a natural stop on a day exploring the old European quarter. Because it is a functioning religious and heritage site under security supervision, access is controlled: bring your passport, expect a bag check, and confirm opening times and any photography rules in advance, as these can change. Dress modestly out of respect. Inside, the soaring columns and the quiet make for a moving contrast with the bustle of the street outside, and the sheer size of the hall is the clearest surviving testimony to the vanished world of Jewish Alexandria.