Damascene Confusion

The synagogue exhibit is a metaphor for everything that is special about the National Museum in Damascus, Syria. It's supposed to be one of the facility's most famous displays, and yet it isn't signposted. Locating it will tax your orienteering skills to their limit — unless, on your quest through the galleries, you happen to glimpse the attendant Abu Mustapha, which we were lucky enough to do. He will lead you down obscure corridors to an unlabeled door and push it open to reveal a 1,750-year-old Jewish house of worship, painstakingly transported, in its entirety, from its original home...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!