7th-century synagogue found under house

ANTALYA

A seventh-century synagogue has been unearthed recently under a residential house in the Side neighborhood, a site director leading excavation works in the southern province of Antalya’s Manavgat district for years has said.

“There were historical records that the Jews resided in Side, but we found out the first palpable proof,” Feriştah Alanyalı, an academic from the Anadolu University, told the Demirören News Agency.

Some words written in the middle of the synagogue say: “Joseph from Korakesion [today’s Alanya district] dedicated it to son Daniel.”

According to the professor, Daniel died when he was just two and a half years old and Joseph paid the cost of the renovation of the synagogue, marking his son.

When asked why it took so long to find a synagogue in the region, Alanyalı said, “It is not easy as synagogues are not as apparent as mosques or churches.”

Saying that there are 90 ongoing excavations in Side, she said, “The same number of more [excavations] should be done. The history beneath the unlicensed constructions will come to light.”