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Khurshidi Synagogue, Isfahan, Iran

Description

Setting: Jewish Existence in Isfahan: 

Isfahan, founded in the village of Jayy (also called Shahristan), has a long and storied Jewish history. The Jewish quarter of Isfahan, al-Yahudiyya, was situated two miles west of the city center. Deciphering the origins of Jewish settlement is uncertain: various traditions suggest Jews arrived either during Nebuchandezzar II’s (605-562 BCE) reign after the First Temple’s destruction (586 BCE), Shapur II’s rule (309-379 CE), or Yazdegerd’s reign (399-421 CE).[4] According to tenth-century Persian historian and geographer Ibn al-Faqih al-Hamadani, local Jewish tradition cites Isfahan’s appeal to Jewish settlement was due to its water and soil, reminiscent of the Holy Land.[5]

Pre-Islamic records of Jewish settlement in Isfahan are limited; however, it is known that Jews in Isfahan faced persecution in 472 CE under the Sasanian king Peroz (459-484 CE).[6] During the early Muslim caliphate, a Jewish messianic movement, the Issawiya, emerged in Isfahan and was influenced by Islamic and Shi’ite prophetic traditions. The city’s Jewish community maintained strong ties with Baghdad’s Jewish population during the Umayyad (661-750) and Abbasid (750-1258) Caliphates.[7]

The Mongol conquest in 1240-1241 and Timur Lang’s invasion in 1387 led to significant hardships for Isfahan’s Jews.[8] The Safavid era (1501-1722) marked the city’s cultural and political zenith, when Shah Abbas I (1588-1629 CE) moved his government there, making Isfahan his capital. Despite relative prosperity, the Jewish community of Isfahan faced several instances of persecution and forced conversion under Shah Abbas II (1643-1666 CE).[9] From  1656 to 1662, the Jews of Isfahan lived as anusim—Hebrew for forced coverts, at the instigation of Mohammad Beg, Shah Abbas II’s vizier.[10]

Later, during the Great Famine of 1871, Persian Jews in Isfahan faced severe hardships, leading them to appeal for aid from European Jewry. A significant financial response, particularly from Jews in Germany, resulted in the distribution of over nineteen thousand British pounds to both Jewish and non-Jewish victims in many Persian cities, including Isfahan.[11] In 1873, Naser al-Din Shah Qajar’s visit to Europe offered a strategic opportunity for Jewish leaders to address the Shah directly.[12] Through a coordinated petition campaign, including a meeting with Sir Moses Montefiore in London, Jewish leaders sought to pressure the Shah into improving the condition of Persian Jews. This included advocating for the establishment of special courts, the elimination of discriminatory practices, and reduction of arbitrary taxation placed on Jews.[13]

By the early nineteenth century, the establishment of a Jewish school by the Alliance Israélite Universelle in 1901 marked a period of modernization and growth.[14] The subsequent Pahlavi era (1925-1979) afforded Jews greater freedoms, leading to increased integration and influence. Following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, many Jews emigrated, but a small community remains in Isfahan. As of 2003, about 1,500 Jews live in Isfahan, primarily in the city center.[15] Restoration efforts since 2006 by the Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran aim to preserve the historic synagogues in the Jewish quarter of Jubareh.[16]

Jubareh Quarter of Isfahan: 

Jubareh, one of Isfahan’s oldest neighborhoods, has been a vital center for the Jewish community. It houses most of Isfahan’s synagogues, including the oldest, Mushi Haja, dating back to around 1700.[17] The neighborhood's proximity to the Jame’ Mosque highlights the historical coexistence of Jewish and Muslim communities. Within the Jubareh neighborhood, the synagogues follow an organic, asymmetrical layout unlike monumental building styles consistent with mausoleums and mosques in Isfahan.[18]

Jewish homes in Jubareh are structurally and stylistically indistinguishable from Muslim homes, built with brick and often featuring central courtyards.[19] However, synagogues, while harmonizing with surrounding buildings through their brick facades, differ in spatial organization. Synagogues often feature interiors below street level due to height restrictions imposed by the Pact of Umar[20], with vaulted roofs supported by columns and decorated with stucco and plaster.[21] Light plays a significant role in their design, creating a spiritual ambiance through skylights.[22]

Jubareh’s synagogues, built mostly during the late Qajar period (1880-1920), are modest due to financial constraints and building policies. Further, many synagogues are attached to adjacent buildings, requiring Jews to utilize space most efficiently, in part due to limitations in purchasing vacant properties based on slow minority population growth.[23]  Housing three synagogues in one single structure could make maintenance easier, cheaper, and more manageable for synagogue-keepers.[24]

Khorshidi Synagogue: 

Khorshidi Synagogue, located near Kamal Street[25], adheres to the architectural principles typical of the city, such as introversion and regular geometry.[26] Although we do not know when the synagogue was founded, its interior design suggests it was built in the mid-nineteenth century, if not during the late Safavid dynasty (1501-1722).[27] Khorshidi synagogue features plasterwork, painted plaster, and tilework, including muqarnas and haft-rang glazed tiles. Muqarnas is a form of intricate, three-dimensional architectural ornamentation used in Islamic architecture, resembling a honeycomb or stalactite pattern, often found in domes, niches, and vaults. Khorshidi Synagogue, located near Kamal Street, adheres to the architectural principles typical of the city, such as introversion and regular geometry. Although we do not know when the synagogue was founded, its interior design suggests it was built in the mid-nineteenth century, if not during the late Safavid dynasty (1501-1722). Khorshidi synagogue features plasterwork, painted plaster, and tilework, including muqarnas and haft-rang glazed tiles. Muqarnas is a form of intricate, three-dimensional architectural ornamentation used in Islamic architecture, resembling a honeycomb or stalactite pattern, often found in domes, niches, and vaults. Haft-rang tiles, meaning “seven colors” in Persian, are a traditional form of Persian ceramic tilework known for their vibrant and diverse color palette, used to create geometric and floral patterns in buildings. 

The Khorshidi Synagogue is situated on the western side of a historic house in the Jubareh neighborhood. It was originally an early Qajar house before being converted into a synagogue according to the wishes of its owner, Mrs. Khorshid. After her death, half of the house became a synagogue, while the other half remained a residence, integrating seamlessly into the neighborhood.[28] It is unknown when the house was converted into a synagogue, or when the original structure was built. The synagogue was a vaqf[29] building with the land donated and the construction funded by the Jewish community.[30] Vaqf properties are land or assets donated for religious or charitable purposes in Islamic law, where the property is held in trust and its revenues used to support a designated cause, such as a mosque, school, or charity. It is unknown if Khorshidi Synagogue is still in use. 

Recent photos display the main elements of Khorshidi Synagogue, including the Holy Ark (heikhal), the raised platform from which prayers are recited and the Torah is read (bimah), seating for men and women, and general arrangements of seats surrounding the bimah.[31] There is a ritual bath (mikveh) in the basement beneath the main prayer hall.[32] The prayer hall is connected to the courtyard through a large panj-dari (five-door) window, with the Torah kept on the western side of the building.[33] On the northern side of the building, there is a seh-dari (three-door) room notable for its decorative colorful windows.[34]

As in all synagogues in the Jubareh neighborhood, Khorshidi Synagogue is spatially organized to create distance between its entrance and worship area. This allows for symbolic transformation from the secular to the sacred.[35] Based on photos, the second floor of Khorshidi Synagogue is in ruins, but the first floor has been well maintained. It is unknown how the second floor of the Khorshidi Synagogue was utilized. The building’s custodian lives in the synagogue.[36]

See photos linked here: 

https://www.7dorim.com/en/pictures/khorshidi-synagogue/

https://www.archnet.org/sites/18559 

 

Contributions by Anoushiravan A. 

Isfahan, Iran