Architecture
The traditional Middle Eastern-style interior is elaborate and well-kept, with a high ceiling, chandeliers, wooden benches facing a central dais, a small balcony for the women's section and a Holy Ark covering the entire eastern wall. The large ark, made of walnut and covered with intricate geometric designs inlaid with mother-of-pearl, was extensively repaired in 2001 in honor of the synagogue's centennial.
A mural depicting stylized representations of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, visible along the upper part of the walls, was painted around 1911-12 by Ya'acov Stark, a teacher at newly formed Bezalel Academy of Art and Design. Stark was part of a group of secular artists and intellectuals of the Second Aliya who sought to create a new, vibrant culture in Jerusalem. Over time, the mural was partially overpainted and the paint has discolored.
Read more about this topic: Ades Synagogue
Famous quotes containing the word architecture:
“The two elements the traveler first captures in the big city are extrahuman architecture and furious rhythm. Geometry and anguish. At first glance, the rhythm may be confused with gaiety, but when you look more closely at the mechanism of social life and the painful slavery of both men and machines, you see that it is nothing but a kind of typical, empty anguish that makes even crime and gangs forgivable means of escape.”
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