Kanisa-yi Khurshidi

This building is located in the Jewish quarter of Isfahan in the Jubarah district close to the main street. The synagogue is not dated, but the interior design shows that it was built mid-nineteenth century, if not late Safavid. The synagogue was a waqf building and the land was donated and the construction funded by the Jewish community. This synagogue is in fact on the western side of a historic house in the Jubarah district. There is a mikvah (ritual bath) in the basement of this synagogue underneath the main prayer hall (talar) with ten steps connecting the mikvah in the basement to the talar. The prayer hall is connected to the courtyard through a big panj-dari (literally meaning five-door) window and the western side of the talar is where the Torah is kept. There is a sih-dari (literally meaning three-door) room on the northern side of this building and its uniqueness lies in the decorative colorful windows on the door in the panj-dari. The second floor is in ruins but the first floor has been well-maintained. The building’s custodian lives in this synagogue.-- Mohammad Gharipour (September, 2017)