The Central Synagogue of Aleppo stands in the Al-Farafira quarter of Aleppo and was the main synagogue of the Syrian Jewish community. Its origins may go back to the fifth century, and the oldest surviving inscription is dated 834. The Aleppo Codex was kept here for more than 500 years.
The synagogue was destroyed during the invasion of Tamerlane in 1400 and rebuilt between 1405 and 1418 on a smaller scale. An eastern wing was added after 1516, and the building was renovated in 1855. It has a western prayer hall with three aisles, a courtyard with a domed platform for reading the Torah, and seven holy arks.
It was looted and burned in 1947. It was rebuilt from 1990 to 1992, damaged in the Syrian Civil War and in the earthquakes of 2023, and is now inactive. Restoration is ongoing.
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