En Gedi Explorations

Images. Ein Gedi was a prosperous Jewish village that was destroyed, together with its synagogue, during the reign of Justinian in the mid-six century A.D. The synagogue was the last in a series built on the site, and like its predecessor of the third century A.D., it was lavishly decorated with floor mosaics. These yielded several inscriptions in Hebrew and Aramaic, a beautiful central carpet with peacocks and birds, and, in front of the north wall, a panel with three menorahs. The building, like all ancient and modern synagogues, was oriented toward Jerusalem, to the north-west of En Gedi. A bronze menorah and pyxis were found next to a semicircular niche in the north wall, which housed the Ark of the Law.