Robert Lyons, The Synagogue in Jubar, Syria 1994

Legend has it that the old synagogue in Jubar, near Damascus, was built on the site where Elijah anointed Hazael as King of Aleppo and Elisha, son of Shafat, as prophet (Kings 1, 19:15, 17). The synagogue is built in the form of a basilica. The teva (reader's platform) is built in the center of the prayer hall on an octagonal stone platform. The hechal (ark) is situated in the southern wall facing Jerusalem. In the past the Taj, an illustrated Bible from 1252, was kept in the hechal. The synagogue is lavishly decorated - the many carpets and the magnificent chandeliers, all donations of worshippers, add to its splendor.