The synagogue is named after the ancient Jewish village of Djirt, modern day er-Riadh, also known as Hara Sghira "Smaller Neighborhood”, which is located south of Houmt El Souk. According to tradition, it was in this village where the first Jews, members of the
kohanim who were exiled from
Jerusalem at the time of the destruction of
Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, settled. The inside is lavishly covered with decorative coloured tiles. The synagogue is to be distinguished from the
El Ghriba Synagogue. El Ghriba's founding is also traced to the flight of priests from the destruction of the
Second Temple during the
Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE). Legend tells that they brought with them a door of the Temple, which is covered over in a wall of the synagogue. == See also ==