Quick Answer
El Ghriba (الغريبة, “the miraculous”) is a synagogue on the Tunisian island of Djerba, traditionally identified as the oldest synagogue in Africa and possibly the oldest continuously used synagogue in the world. It stands in the Jewish village of Hara Sghira (now called Erriadh), several kilometres southwest of Djerba’s main town, Houmt Souk. While the current building dates to the late 19th century, the site has been a place of Jewish worship for an estimated 2,500 years — some legends place its founding in the 6th century BCE, following the Babylonian destruction of Solomon’s Temple. Together with the rest of Djerba, El Ghriba was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in September 2023.
This article is part of Carthage Magazine’s pillar guide to Djerba — see The Island of Djerba: A UNESCO World Heritage Site for the full context.
The Synagogue and Its Setting
From the outside, El Ghriba does not announce itself. It is modest: a low, white-walled building flanked by olive and palm trees, set in a quiet residential street of Erriadh. Visitors who don’t know what they’re looking at could walk past it and never notice.
Step inside, and the contrast is immediate. The interior is a slow, deliberate explosion of colour — intricate tilework in blue, white, and ochre; chandeliers suspended from a vaulted blue ceiling; carved wooden benches polished by centuries of worship; and, at the far end, the aron hakodesh (Torah ark) said to contain one of the oldest Torah scrolls in continuous use anywhere.
The synagogue is structured around two covered halls. The first — originally an open courtyard, later roofed to accommodate the growing congregation — is supported by twin columns dividing the space into three. The second houses the sanctuary itself, where the Torah is kept and the most sacred prayers recited.
Pilgrims and visitors traditionally leave behind written prayers, candles, and small offerings. The walls have absorbed the weight of countless requests over generations.
The Founding Legend
Two traditions account for El Ghriba’s origin.
The First Temple tradition. When the Babylonians destroyed Solomon’s Temple in 586 BCE, a small group of High Priests fled Jerusalem with relics of the Temple — possibly a stone, possibly a door, possibly a piece of the original altar. They travelled west across the Mediterranean and settled on Djerba, where they built a sanctuary incorporating the relic. The current synagogue is said to be built on or near this original site, making the unbroken Jewish presence on Djerba one of the longest of any Jewish community in the world.
The “isolated one” tradition. Ghriba in Arabic means “the miraculous” or “the isolated one.” A second tradition holds that a young girl — alone, unattached, somewhat mysterious — once lived on the spot where the synagogue now stands. The local villagers did not accept her. When she died, her uncorrupted body was discovered by the Jews of the nearby village; they buried her in a cave that became the site of an annual pilgrimage on Lag BaOmer. The synagogue grew up around her tomb.
The two traditions coexist comfortably in Djerban memory. Like much of the island, El Ghriba’s history layers legend and fact rather than choosing between them.
A Living Place of Worship
What sets El Ghriba apart from many ancient synagogues is that it has never stopped functioning. The roughly 1,300 Jews who still live on Djerba — almost all of them in Hara Sghira and the larger village of Hara Kebira — continue to pray here on Shabbat and the major holidays. The community sustains a Hebrew school, a kosher slaughterhouse, several smaller synagogues, and the institutional life of a tradition that traces back, by its own reckoning, twenty-five centuries.
Tunisia is home to one of the largest remaining Jewish communities in any Arab country. Before independence in 1956, Tunisia had over 100,000 Jews; emigration to France, Israel, and elsewhere has reduced the population to roughly 1,500 today, with the vast majority living on Djerba.
The Annual Hilula Pilgrimage
Every spring, on the 33rd day of the Counting of the Omer (Lag BaOmer, between Passover and Shavuot), thousands of Jewish pilgrims travel to Djerba from Europe, Israel, France, and across the diaspora to celebrate the Hilula at El Ghriba. The festivities begin on the 14th of Iyar in memory of the tannaitic rabbi Meir Baal HaNess and conclude on Lag BaOmer itself in honour of Rabbi Simeon bar Yochai.
The Hilula is one of the most distinctive Jewish pilgrimages in the world: a celebration that combines prayer, music, festive procession, the lighting of candles, the consumption of egg-decorated mahias (fig brandy), and the singing of piyutim in Judeo-Arabic and Hebrew. The pilgrimage has been held continuously for centuries.
Read more: Tens of Thousands of Jews Celebrate Unusual Coexistence in Djerba — The Annual Pilgrimage
UNESCO World Heritage Inscription, 2023
On 18 September 2023, at the 45th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting in Riyadh, the island of Djerba — including El Ghriba and the surrounding Jewish neighbourhoods — was officially inscribed on the World Heritage List under the title Djerba: Testimony to a settlement pattern in an island territory.
The inscription recognises the island’s exceptional settlement pattern: low-density, water-scarce, deeply networked, and built around the religious diversity that has defined the place for over a thousand years. El Ghriba, the Catholic church, the three hundred mosques (including the Ibadi underground mosques unique to Djerba), and the residential neighbourhoods of Hara Sghira and Hara Kebira are all components of the inscribed property.
The UNESCO designation made Djerba Tunisia’s ninth World Heritage Site, the country’s first new inscription since Dougga was added in 1997.
The 2023 Attack — What Happened and Where Things Stand
We include this section because no honest account of El Ghriba in 2026 can omit it. We do so briefly, soberly, and without sensationalism.
On the evening of 9 May 2023, during the third day of the annual Hilula pilgrimage, a 30-year-old member of the Tunisian National Guard, Wissam Khazri, killed a fellow officer at his naval post in Aghir to seize additional ammunition, then drove the approximately 20 kilometres to El Ghriba synagogue and opened fire on pilgrims and security personnel.
Five people were killed: Aviel Haddad, a 30-year-old Tunisian-Israeli dual citizen; his cousin Benjamin Haddad, a 42-year-old French national; and three Tunisian security officers, including the colleague killed at the naval post. Approximately ten people were injured. The attacker was killed by responding security forces.
Tunisian authorities initially described the attack as a premeditated criminal act without confirming a motive. The Islamic State subsequently claimed responsibility, though Tunisian security analysts emphasised that the operation lacked the organisational hallmarks of a coordinated cell and was likely the act of an individual.
On 16 February 2026, a Tunisian court sentenced five people — including the attacker’s fiancée and sister — to terms of up to 15 years’ imprisonment on charges related to the attack. The student-aged tenant who had rented to the attacker and his fiancée received three- and eight-year sentences respectively; two other defendants received seven and 15 years; the attacker’s sister, on bail, received a one-year sentence.
The pilgrimage continued in 2024 and subsequent years, though with significantly heightened security and a substantial reduction in foreign Jewish participation, particularly from Israel. The Tunisian government has reaffirmed its commitment to the safety of the site and the continuation of the tradition.
This was not the first attack on the synagogue. In 1985, three people including one child were killed when a Tunisian policeman responsible for guarding the synagogue fired into a crowd of celebrating Jews during Simchat Torah. On 11 April 2002, al-Qaeda detonated a truck bomb at the synagogue’s outer wall, killing 21 people — 14 German tourists, 5 Tunisians, and 2 French nationals — in the deadliest attack the site has ever seen.
Through all of it, the community has continued. The Hilula has continued. The synagogue has continued. El Ghriba’s history is, in the deepest sense, a history of continuity through interruption.
Visiting El Ghriba
- Address. El Ghriba synagogue, Erriadh (Hara Sghira), Djerba, Tunisia. Several kilometres southwest of Houmt Souk.
- How to get there. A 15-minute taxi or rental-car drive from Houmt Souk. The synagogue is well-signed once you’re in Erriadh village. Many Djerba day-tours combine El Ghriba with the Djerbahood street art project (which is in the same village) and the local cooperative shops.
- Hours. Generally open daily during daylight hours. Closed on Shabbat (Friday evening to Saturday evening) and on major Jewish holidays. Confirm with your hotel or local tour operator before visiting.
- Admission. A modest entry fee, paid in cash at the entrance. No bank cards.
- Dress code. Modest dress is required — shoulders and knees covered. Men are asked to wear a head covering (kippot are provided at the entrance). Women are not required to cover their hair but may be asked to wear a shawl over bare shoulders.
- Photography. Allowed in the courtyards but generally not inside the main sanctuary during prayer. Confirm with the staff on the day.
- Security. Has been significantly enhanced since the 2023 incident. Expect a thorough bag check and the presence of armed police and military personnel. The process is calm and professional.
What Else to See in Erriadh
The village around El Ghriba is one of the most rewarding small towns to walk on the island:
- Djerbahood murals — over 250 works of street art on the white walls of the village, by artists from more than 30 countries.
- Hara Sghira souk — small, quiet, with traditional Djerban silverwork and the famous Djerban honey shops.
- Cafés and bakeries — try the village makroudh, made with the local dates and the island’s signature heavier syrup.
- A walk to Hara Kebira — the larger Jewish village to the north, where most of Djerba’s remaining Jewish community lives.
Read more: Djerbahood — Open-Air Street Art on the Streets of Djerba
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is El Ghriba synagogue?
The current building dates to the late 19th century, but the site has been a place of Jewish worship for an estimated 2,500 years. One tradition holds that Jewish priests fleeing the Babylonian destruction of Solomon’s Temple in 586 BCE founded the original sanctuary on this spot.
Is El Ghriba the oldest synagogue in Africa?
Yes. El Ghriba is traditionally identified as the oldest synagogue in Africa and is sometimes described as the oldest continuously used synagogue in the world.
Is El Ghriba a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
Yes, indirectly. The synagogue is included in the property inscribed by UNESCO in September 2023 as Djerba: Testimony to a settlement pattern in an island territory — Tunisia’s ninth World Heritage Site.
Can tourists visit El Ghriba?
Yes. The synagogue is open to visitors during daylight hours (except Shabbat and major Jewish holidays). Modest dress is required; a head covering for men is provided at the entrance. Security since 2023 is thorough.
What is the Hilula pilgrimage?
The annual Jewish pilgrimage to El Ghriba on Lag BaOmer, between Passover and Shavuot — typically in May. Pilgrims travel from Europe, Israel, France, and around the diaspora to celebrate the rabbis Meir Baal HaNess and Simeon bar Yochai. The pilgrimage has been held continuously for centuries.
Is it safe to visit El Ghriba in 2026?
Tunisian authorities have significantly enhanced security at the site since the May 2023 attack. The synagogue welcomes visitors throughout the year and the 2024 and 2025 Hilula pilgrimages were held without incident. Standard travel precautions apply, and most countries’ foreign offices currently advise normal tourist travel to Djerba.
Why is it called “El Ghriba”?
Ghriba (الغريبة) in Arabic means “the miraculous” or “the isolated one.” Both senses appear in local tradition — the synagogue as a site of miracles, and the legend of an isolated young woman whose grave became a pilgrimage site.
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[…] has it that the synagogue on the island of Djerba was founded at the time of the destruction of the First or Second Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in either 586 BCE or 70 C.E., and contains a stone from the temple. Today the […]
[…] has it that the synagogue on the island of Djerba was founded at the time of the destruction of the First or Second Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in either 586 BCE or 70 C.E., and contains a stone from the temple. Today the […]