El Grib Synagogue is an important Jewish holy site. This synagogue is considered to be the oldest in Africa and one of the oldest surviving synagogues in the whole world. It is over two thousand years old. According to oral tradition, it was founded by a Jewish priest who came to this place after the first Jerusalem temple was destroyed. According to legend, El Griba was built on the spot where the stone of paradise fell. The legend says that when the last Jew leaves the site, the keys to the synagogue's gates will return to paradise.
On major Jewish holidays, as well as on the 33rd day after Passover, pilgrims from North Africa and the Middle East flock here. Small rooms for pilgrims are built around the perimeter of the square courtyard of El Griba.
The main hall of El Griba is accessed by a massive ebony door with metal ties and rivets. The central hall makes a strong impression on all visitors. The walls and arches are panelled with blue tiles. The columns and ceiling are painted in blue and white colours. The white colour of the walls symbolises purity, and the blue colour of the shutters on the windows is the colour of spiritual tranquillity and peace. In the main sanctuary of the synagogue there is a very old and valuable Torah scroll, a significant shrine of the place. Pilgrims also come to worship the tomb of Shimon Bar Yaschai (one of the authors of the Talmud).
Of course, the building has not survived in its original form. The structure that has survived is from the 19th century. It, in turn, replaced the synagogue of the 16th century.
