Deir Aziz synagogue

The Deir Aziz synagogue is an ancient synagogue dating from the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods, located at the archeological site of Deir Aziz, in the southern Golan Heights.

History
The synagogue is located near the ruins of Deir Aziz, the site of an ancient Jewish settlement, on which the Syrian village later existed. The remains of this synagogue, one of two public buildings found at the site, were initially uncovered by Lawrence Oliphant in the late 19th century. Following the 1967 Six-Day War, the site was included in a survey conducted on the Golan Heights. In the 21st century, the synagogue underwent excavation and subsequent restoration efforts.

Archeology
In 1998, an excavation expedition was organized on behalf of the Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archeology at Bar-Ilan University and Kinneret College led by Haim Ben David, Zvi Uri Maoz and Oren Zingboim. Excavations were carried out at the site until 2004. The excavations revealed a rectangular hall (basilica) measuring 11 meters by 18 meters, with a pile of ashlar stones, which according to information originate from the synagogue that was destroyed in the 749 CE earthquake. Under the floor of the hall, hundreds of coins were found, the latest of which date from the time of Justinian I, emperor of the Byzantine Empire (second quarter of the 6th century AD). In the southern wall of the hall there is a prominent niche for the Torah ark. Further more a Menorah and an Atarah (Hebrew word meaning "crown") were found engraved on a stone.

One of the synagogue's windows bears a Greek inscription, ΑΖΙΖΟ, suggesting a connection between the Arab name of the ruin, Deir Aziz, and the original name of the ancient Talmudic village.