Slat al-Azama Synagogue: Difference between revisions

The synagogue was associated with [[Sephardi Jews|Sephardic Jews]] who were [[Expulsion of Jews from Spain|expelled from Spain in 1492]] (known as the [[Megorashim]]). The synagogue's foundation is likewise traditionally attributed to 1492,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Lazama Synagogue {{!}} Marrakesh, Morocco Attractions|url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/morocco/marrakesh/attractions/lazama-synagogue/a/poi-sig/1144251/1316370|access-date=2020-09-26|website=Lonely Planet|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=2019-04-18|title=Morocco is a trove of Jewish history if you know where to go|url=https://apnews.com/article/749d2471171b4c1985bd33b8d43c1609|access-date=2020-09-26|website=AP NEWS}}</ref> though one scholar has indicated that the exact year of establishment has not been verified.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Stiefel|first=Barry L.|title=Jews and the Renaissance of Synagogue Architecture, 1450–1730|publisher=Routledge|year=2015|pages=54}}</ref> The Mellah district in which the synagogue is located was not created until 1557.<ref name=":222">{{Cite book|last=Deverdun|first=Gaston|title=Marrakech: Des origines à 1912|publisher=Éditions Techniques Nord-Africaines|year=1959|location=Rabat}}</ref>{{Rp|363-364363–364}}<ref name=":04">{{Cite book|last=Wilbaux|first=Quentin|title=La médina de Marrakech: Formation des espaces urbains d'une ancienne capitale du Maroc|publisher=L'Harmattan|year=2001|isbn=2747523888|location=Paris}}</ref>{{Rp|258}} In any case, the synagogue's current form dates from a more modern restoration.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":7">{{Cite book|title=The Rough Guide to Morocco|publisher=Rough Guides|year=2019|edition=12th|pages=318}}</ref> The building is still functioning as a synagogue today.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|last=Frank|first=Michael|date=2015-05-30|title=In Morocco, Exploring Remnants of Jewish History|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/31/travel/in-morocco-exploring-remnants-of-jewish-history.html|access-date=2020-09-26|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

The synagogue is integrated into a larger building which consisted of a private house with a central courtyard (popularly referred to as a [[Riad (architecture)|riad]]).<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> This integration of a synagogue into a private home was typical of most synagogues in the Mellah of Marrakesh<ref name=":7" /> as well as in the [[Mellah of Fez]].<ref name=":72">{{Cite journal|lastlast1=Gilson Miller|firstfirst1=Susan|last2=Petruccioli|first2=Attilio|last3=Bertagnin|first3=Mauro|date=2001|title=Inscribing Minority Space in the Islamic City: The Jewish Quarter of Fez (1438-1912)|journal=Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians|volume=60|issue=3|pages=310–327|doi=10.2307/991758|jstor=991758}}</ref> The synagogue itself has traditional Moroccan decoration such as ''[[zellij]]'' (mosaic tilework).<ref name=":0" />

The east side was renovated after the 1950s, with the addition of a wing for women (ezrat nashim), which is unique in [[Morocco]] where tradition dictates that women stay in a separate room at the entrance of the synagogue.<ref name=":03">{{Cite web |date=2009-10-25 |title=Las sinagogas marroques |work=MFA.gov.il |url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFAES/MFAArchive/1990_1999/1999/9/Las%20sinagogas%20marroques |access-date=2020-11-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091025142923/http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFAES/MFAArchive/1990_1999/1999/9/Las%20sinagogas%20marroques |accessarchive-date=20202009-1110-30|website=web.archive.org25}}</ref> The original wooden chest[[Torah ark]] has been replaced by a marble chestark, which is located next to the eastern wall. Notes drawn in the 1950s by architect Yaacov Finkerfeld demonstrate that the space mentioned above did not exist for women and that the interior was divided into two naves by four columns. On the upper floor there is a [[yeshiva]].<ref name=":03" />