The Dura-Europos synagogue was an ancient Jewish former synagogue discovered in 1932 at Dura-Europos, Syria. The former synagogue contained a forecourt and house of assembly with painted walls depicting people and animals, and a Torah shrine in the western wall facing Jerusalem. It was built backing on to the city wall, which was important in its survival. The last phase of construction was dated by an Aramaic inscription to 244 CE, making it one of the oldest synagogues in the world. It was unique among the many ancient synagogues that have emerged from archaeological excavations as the structure was preserved virtually intact, and it had extensive figurative wall-paintings, which came as a considerable surprise to scholars. These paintings are now displayed in the National Museum of Damascus.
Dura-Europos was a small garrison and trading city on the river Euphrates, and usually on the frontier between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Parthian and finally the Sassanid Empires of Persia. It changed hands at various points but was Roman from 165 AD. Before the final Persian destruction of the town in 256–257 AD, parts of the synagogue which abutted the main city wall were apparently requisitioned and filled with sand as a defensive measure. The city was abandoned after its fall and never resettled, and the lower walls of the rooms remained buried and largely intact until excavated. …
...The excavations also discovered very important wall-paintings from places of worship of Christianity at the Dura-Europos church. In addition, there were wall paintings edifying Mithraism, and fragmentary Christian texts in Hebrew.
In the Syrian Civil War, the site was occupied by ISIL, and what was left of the synagogue and a number of other buildings there appear to have been destroyed...
<big>Panel WC4 - Pharaoh and the Infancy of Moses, depicting also Yocheved, Shiphrah and Puah.</big>
<big>Moses and the Burning Bush (Exodus 3:1-4:17)</big>
<big>The Hebrew people (and mixed multitude) leaving Egypt, west wall, Dura Europos Synagogue, 3rd cent., Syria</big>
<big>Facsimile of dipinto #3 in the Dura Europos synagogue, Aramaic inscription : ' ' Moses, when he went out from Egypt and cleft the sea ' ' See Torres in Kraeling 1956 - After Du Mesnil du Buisson 1937</big>
<big>The Hebrew people (and mixed multitude) Crossing The Red Sea, pursued by Pharoah's army,</big>
<big>A 1932/33 photograph at Dura Europos Synagogue, Syria, west wall, south side, register b, 1-2: the Well of Miriam, dedication of high priest, etc. See next image down.</big>
<big>Photograph, date unknown, Dura Europos Synagogue, Syria, west wall, south side, register b, 1-2: the Well of Miriam. See next image down.</big>
<big>Wilderness encampment, Moses bringing forth water from the miraculous well of Be ' er Shel Miriam (the well of Miriam) - the well followed Miriam, older sister of Moses and Aaron, the rest of her life, so the people would have water on the journey. The Torah refers to her as Miriam the Prophetess and the Talmud names her as one of the seven major female prophets of Israel. Scripture describes her alongside of Moses and Aaron as delivering the Jews from exile in Egypt: ' ' For I brought you up out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam ' ' . According to the Midrash, just as Moses led the men out of Egypt and taught them Torah, so too Miriam led the women and taught them Torah.
In modern tradition, the ritual items at the seder table include — besides the wine-filled cup of Elijah — a Kos Miriam (cup of Miriam) that contains water: without water there is no life.</big>
There is a wealth of additional images of the site at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Dura-Europos_synagogue and both pages offer links to more information and more images about the entire Dura Europos site. The images, information, and materials held in museums and archives in several places around the world are likely all that remains to history of Dura Europos.
<big>Dura Europos 3rd Century Synagogue West Wall excavation 1932-1933</big>
<big>Plan of the L7 block of Doura Europos with the synagogue (last state): in red, the religious building, in orange, the entrance and outbuildings. According to the plan by N. C. Andrews (1941) taken up in Hachlili, Ancient Jewish Art and Archeology in the Diaspora, 1998, 41.</big>
<big>Courtyard, west portico and large hall of the synagogue of Doura Europos, Syria. The location of the site is shown in the map of Syria, 2nd image down, righthad side, at this Wikipedia page.</big>
<big>Isometric view of Block L7, Dura Europos, with the Synagogue, 14 October 2008. </big>
<big>Excavation of the Torah niche in the Dura Europos synagogue 29 July 1933, an excavation worker with spade sitting at the lower right corner of the niche.</big>
Chag Pesakh Sameiyakh
...oseh shalom...
