فارسی
Jewish Presence in Iran
Presence in Isfahan
The Jewish community has called Isfahan home since many centuries ago. While the history of their presence in the city has been extensively studied, their architectural contributions as a minority group have received less attention.
Cultural integration
It is crucial to recognize that the prolonged residence of a minority within a larger nation with a rich cultural heritage — one of which is architecture — inevitably shapes various aspects of their lives. In many instances, this leads to cultural assimilation, including architectural influences. The homes and neighborhoods of Isfahan’s Jewish community exemplify this phenomenon. Built in accordance with Iranian architectural principles and methods, these structures seamlessly blend into the city’s fabric, exhibiting no discernible physical or spatial organizational distinction from other neighborhoods. Except for synagogues.
Synagogues distinguish the Jewish community
Synagogues, or “kenisa”, stand as the sole architectural elements that uniquely identify the Jewish community and distinguish them from other structures in the city. While this distinction may not be immediately apparent, a closer examination, particularly of their spatial organization, reveals unique and distinctive characteristics that this essay aims to introduce and analyze.
This article will begin by exploring the areas where the Jewish community has established its presence, highlighting the locations of their synagogues. It will then examine the distinctive architectural elements that characterize these synagogues. By the end of this article, you will have gained a comprehensive understanding of the Jewish places of worship in Isfahan.
Disclaimers
It is important to note that the synagogues of Isfahan have undergone various changes since the initial field survey conducted in 2001. While some of these modifications were implemented through informed and expert evaluations, enhancing the overall structure of the buildings, others were introduced without proper expertise, leading to distorted and meaningless alterations to the original architecture.
As with any research endeavor, this study has its fair share of limitations and shortcomings. Experts and scholars are asked to view this simple work as a beginning — an opening chapter — and to assist the author in refining and correcting any possible errors.
Synagogue locations
Apart from two synagogues, the rest of the synagogues in Isfahan are all in the Joubareh neighborhood at the time of this writing (2016), all of which are over 85 years old. Joubareh is one of three main Jewish neighborhoods in Isfahan, and has hosted the highest populations of Jews within itself. The new Jewish synagogue has been constructed in the city center, Amadegah Street.
Joubareh
Jewish and Muslim Co-existence
A noteworthy aspect is the location of the Joubareh neighborhood in relation to the city’s old Grand Mosque. Joubareh is situated within a 500-meter radius of the Grand Mosque, which, considering Isfahan’s size and population, is a relatively close distance, indicating the proximity and coexistence of the Jewish minority within the heart of the city.
Synagogue distribution
The dispersion and placement of synagogues within the neighborhood mirror the organic and irregular pattern of the neighborhood itself. Examining the map of synagogue-distribution reveals that six of the 12 synagogues in Joubareh are located near the neighborhood’s main street (Kamarzarin Alley and two branching alleys). This highlights the significance of this alley as the neighborhood’s primary spine. Other synagogues are also located near main neighborhood streets, with only one exception.
Harmonious synagogue integration
Consequently, all synagogues are situated in semi-public areas, adhering to the hierarchy of public and private spaces in their placement. None of these structures stand alone, isolated from the other neighborhood elements, which are primarily residential houses. Instead, they blend seamlessly with the surrounding buildings, forming the neighborhood’s fabric. The visible elements of these synagogues from the streets consist of a small entrance and, at most, two external walls. The quality of these elements reflects complete continuity and harmony with their context, the neighborhood fabric. Simple walls, often coated with adobe, seamlessly integrate these buildings into the surrounding structures, making them almost indistinguishable to the unfamiliar eye.
Size is another factor that contributes to the synagogues’ harmony within their surrounding structures. In relation to urban structures, synagogues are neither large nor medium in size. Rather, these worshipping places tend to be small, maybe because the community preferred to build several small synagogues catering to various areas of the neighborhood instead of one large glamorous one.
Typology
As mentioned earlier, the synagogues of Isfahan adhere to the architectural principles that govern the entire city. These fundamental characteristics include introversion, regular geometry, and more. The construction methods and techniques employed in these synagogues do not differ from those used in other buildings. The synagogue structures are built with arches, vaults, domes, and load-bearing walls. Their interior finishes and decorations follow the same conventional and customary methods, such as plasterwork, painting on plaster, and various types of tilework (muqarnas, seven-color tiles, etc.). Therefore, from a structural and construction quality standpoint, these buildings are entirely in harmony with the city’s traditional architecture.
Spatial Organization
Essential Spaces in a Jewish House of Worship
The essential spaces in a Jewish house of worship, as prescribed by religious laws and arranged in order of importance and sacred hierarchy, are:
- Torah Ark
- Leader’s Stand
- Seating Area
- Women’s Area
- Entrance
Iranian Architectural Elements
In addition to the essential spaces, some synagogues in Isfahan also incorporate elements of traditional Iranian architecture, such as courtyards. The unique arrangement and juxtaposition of these elements, the quality of each space, their interrelationships, and the overall hierarchy created by their placement distinguish each synagogue as a unique architectural entity.
Torah Ark
The Ark — the holiest site within a synagogue — is positioned on the western wall of Isfahan’s synagogues. These Arks are typically constructed as recesses within the western wall, featuring wooden doors that safeguard the Torah scrolls held within. These doors are often adorned with curtains.
Serving as the focal point during worship, the Ark establishes the “direction” within the interior space, indicating the direction of prayer, which according to religious laws should be towards Jerusalem. As the holiest and most attention-grabbing component of the synagogue’s interior, the Ark typically receives the most elaborate and intricate ornamentation. The Ark is often the first area within the synagogue to receive decorative embellishments, ranging from simple plasterwork to intricate muqarnas and painted designs, resulting in stunning and visually captivating examples.
Given its sacred status and its role as the focal point of worship, the Ark must be visually distinguished from the surrounding areas. Since the area in front of the Ark serves as a designated space for specific prayers, this area itself further separates the Ark from the rest of the worship hall. Often, this area is elevated by a few steps above the main floor of the worship hall, further emphasizing the significance of this focal point within the interior space.
Leader’s stand
This is where one person on behalf of the congregation stands and recites the prayer with a loud voice. In Isfahani synagogues, this Stand is placed right in the center of the hall. Similar to the scroll placement, the Leader’s Stand is elevated.
Except in one instance, the Stand always consists of a square layout. The Stand can take the form of a large wooden platform or a raised dais with stone or tile-covered walls. Access to the Stand is typically provided by stairs located in the middle of the eastern, northern, and southern sides, or sometimes only on the northern and southern sides. In wooden Stands, a low railing often encircles the platform, emphasizing the access points at the center of three sides.
In synagogues with domed ceilings, a large central dome is invariably constructed, with the Stand positioned at the center of this dome. Since the mid-level domes typically rest on four columns, the arrangement of these four supports around the Stand defines its area within the worship hall and further highlight its significance.
In many cases, a skylight is also incorporated at the center of the synagogue’s central dome, featuring an octagonal base. The external manifestation of this skylight is a low-rise octagonal prism with latticed wooden windows on all its faces. In some synagogues without courtyards, this skylight serves as the sole source of natural light and fresh air. The skylight’s position relative to the Stand and the light it directs onto the platform create a symbolic association, linking the Stand to a connection between the worship space and the heavens, aligning with religious texts.
Located at the center or western side of the Stand, closest to the Ark, is the reader’s table, which is typically a raised rectangular wooden table. This table is also one of the frequently decorated elements, with some examples showcasing exquisite craftsmanship.
Sitting places
With the exception of designated areas, nearly every available space in the hall is utilized for seating worshippers. This seating arrangement typically consists of either benches affixed to the walls or sets of tables and chairs. The seating layout revolves around the Leader’s Stand, which typically faces the leader, thereby establishing it as the central focal point of the worship hall and underscoring the leader’s role as the congregation’s representative. The seating area isn’t confined to a specific section of the worship hall; rather, it encompasses any vacant space available.
Women’s space
The women’s space can be observed as a separate section of the worshipping hall. The section tends to be a mezzanine, with its access stairs positioned in a way that minimizes visibility. In many cases, visual connection between the women’s gallery and the worship hall is restricted, ensuring that the women’s section is not directly visible from within the main worship space. A single decorative lattice wall, often embellished with brick and tile, serves as a partition between these two areas.
The entrance
The entrance of any place of worship holds immense importance, serving as a symbolic and physical passage from the ordinary to the sacred. This threshold must effectively demarcate the separation between the sanctified interior of the worship space and the secular realm outside. The old synagogues of Isfahan carefully observed this as much as possible.
In none of these synagogues does the entrance door directly open from the alleyway into the main worship hall. Instead, an intermediate space exists between the entrance and the sacred interior. In most Isfahani synagogues, this intermediary space takes the form of a long, dark corridor. The spatial quality of this corridor, a darkened path that must be traversed, effectively creates a psychological and physical distance between the outside world and the sanctity of the worship hall.
Instead of the long, dark corridor, some synagogues feature an octagonal space, which is also dark. In one synagogue, the corridor leads to the synagogue yard. In two synagogues the yard has the duty of separating the space between the street and worshipping hall. The element that is always a constant is the existence of some of kind of space between the “outer” world and the holy space of the worshipping hall.
The entrance to the synagogue is typically located in the middle of the eastern side, facing the leader’s stand. The placement of the three elements of the entrance, the leader’s stand, and the Torah Ark in a straight line creates an axis that gives direction to the interior space of the synagogue. This axis runs east-west, with its starting point being the entrance to the synagogue and its ending point being the Torah Ark, facing Jerusalem.
Of course, not all synagogues have their entrance in the middle of the eastern side. In some synagogues, the entrance is located in the corner of the northeastern or southeastern side of the synagogue. Entering the synagogue from a corner somewhat diminishes the importance and power of the east-west axis, but it also allows the entire interior space of the synagogue to be perceived at first glance.
Courtyard
As mentioned earlier, the courtyard is not a fixed and ubiquitous component of synagogues, and it is only found in a few of them. The organization of the courtyard as an open space in the examples that have it follows the general principles of traditional architecture, in which the “open space” is placed “inside the enclosed space” and is surrounded by it; although sometimes, due to the expansion of streets, these courtyards are located next to the alleys and their only common feature with the adjacent alley is a wall. The role of the courtyard as a provider of natural light and ventilation for the adjacent spaces remains constant, but it does not play a significant role in the qualities of the interior of the synagogue, and its only role in relation to it is as part of the access hierarchy.
An Overview
Synagogue architecture in Isfahan closely adheres to the city’s overarching architectural principles. Reflecting typical Iranian construction techniques and spatial organization, these synagogues stand as quintessential representations of local architecture. “Each synagogue features a distinct area designed for spiritual connection with the Divine”, expressed through a centripetal space layout. Here, seating arrangements revolve around a central point where a congregant recites prayers aloud. Being slightly elevated, this individual is closer to the heavens, with a skylight above casting sky light into the sacred space, evoking a sense of Divine inspiration. Facing west during prayer (12), this central point signifies the holiest area within the synagogue, housing the Torah Ark. The entire synagogue’s interior is deliberately secluded from the outside world, accessible only via a dimly lit, lengthy path that serves to disconnect visitors from mundane affairs and prepare them for an encounter with the Divine presence — illumination in the presence of the Creator.
Adopted from the notes of Engineer Raphael Sedighpour
