Egypt begins restoring Mideast’s oldest synagogue

The restoration work will include cleaning walls, insulating the roof and treating cracks. (Supplied)
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  • The last restoration work was done in 1991

CAIRO: Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities has started a project to restore Cairo’s Temple of Ben Ezra.

“It is of great importance as it is the oldest synagogue in Egypt and the Middle East,” said the council’s Secretary-General Mostafa Waziri.

Osama Talaat, head of the council’s Islamic, Coptic and Jewish Antiquities Sector, said: “The temple was named after Ezra, the religious scholar and Jewish philosopher.”

The restoration work will include cleaning walls, insulating the roof and treating cracks. The last restoration work was done in 1991.