格里巴犹太教堂(El Ghriba Synagogue)静静矗立在杰尔巴岛的艾里亚德(Erriadh)村,作为北非地区现存最古老的犹太教圣地,其历史最早可追溯到公元前586年所罗门第一圣殿被毁之后。虽然现在的建筑主体多为19世纪末期翻修,但教堂内依然供奉着据称是世界上最古老的律法书卷轴。即便你不是信徒,这里独特的建筑风格和深厚的文化包容性也足以让人特意驱车前往。
当地流传着一个动人的说法,公元前586年巴比伦人摧毁耶路撒冷第一圣殿后,逃亡的大祭司们带着圣殿的一扇门和几块石头跨海来到杰尔巴岛。他们将这些圣物嵌入了教堂的基石,从此这座教堂便与犹太教的根基紧密相连。格里巴在阿拉伯语中意为奇迹或陌生人,象征着那块具有神性的石头和最初定居于此的漂泊者。这种古老的联系让教堂在犹太世界拥有极高的地位,被视为连接流散民族与耶路撒冷圣殿的唯一纽带。
说真的,能在伊斯兰教占据绝对主导地位的突尼斯看到这样一处活跃的犹太遗址,确实令人感概。目前杰尔巴岛仍生活着大约1500名犹太居民,主要集中在教堂所在的艾里亚德村和北部的哈拉卡比拉村。尽管历史上经历了数次动荡,这个小小的社群依然顽强地保留着独特的饮食、方言和宗教习惯。2023年格里巴教堂随杰尔巴岛的整体景观被列入联合国教科文组织世界遗产名录,这标志着其在人类多元文化共存方面的价值得到了全球认可。
从外面看教堂外墙洁白素雅,但推开那道不起眼的门,视觉冲击力瞬间拉满。教堂内部并没有过多的繁冗装饰,而是被铺天盖地的蓝色瓷砖包围。这种典型的摩尔式装修风格极具北非特色,光线通过木质拱廊照射进来,打在刻有希伯来文的墙壁上。室内悬挂着许多华丽的银灯和供奉者的还愿物。你会发现这里的礼拜堂被分为两个大厅,由于历史上参观者不断增加,原来的露天庭院也被封盖成现在的接待厅,这种层叠的扩建痕迹恰好记录了建筑的演变。
每年的犹太历拉巴奥默节,也就是逾越节后的第33天,这里会迎来一年中最热闹的时刻。数千名来自法国、以色列乃至世界各地的信徒会涌向杰尔巴岛,参加为期数日的朝圣活动。2026年的朝圣预计将在4月底至5月初举行。活动的高潮是抬着装饰华丽的巨型灯架在村庄游行,街道上充满了歌声和欢呼。虽然近年出于安全考虑,游行规模有所调整,但教堂内部的点火和祈愿仪式依然保持着极为原始的宗教热情。
去之前一定要记住带好护照。格里巴教堂的安检级别非常高,不仅有警察岗哨,进入大门前还需通过类似机场的X光机检测。着装方面建议穿长裙或长裤,不要露出肩膀。门口会免费提供蓝色的小圆帽给男士,女性则需要用丝巾包头,如果你没带也不用担心,售票处附近通常有备好的丝巾可供借用。另外这里的开放时间比较灵活,但在周六也就是安息日是不对游客开放的,这点很多人不知道,千万别白跑一趟。
钱的问题也得算清楚,从岛上的首府豪姆特苏克(Houmt Souk)打车过来大约只要5到7个第纳尔,车程不到15分钟。看完教堂别急着走,它所在的艾里亚德村本身就是一件巨大的艺术品。2014年这里举办了著名的杰尔巴胡德(Djerbahood)街头艺术节,来自世界各地的150多位艺术家在村庄的墙壁上留下了数百幅涂鸦。你可以花一两个小时在弯曲的小巷里漫步,寻找那些隐藏在白色民居墙角下的创意画作。这种跨越宗教古迹与现代艺术的混搭体验,才是杰尔巴岛最迷人的地方。
教堂本身通常不收固定金额的门票,但在安检和进入内部时,会有工作人员建议你捐赠一小笔款项,一般建议准备5到10个突尼斯第纳尔。这些捐款通常用于教堂的维护和安保支出,进入内部如果想拍摄特定的宗教区域,也建议先询问管理人员。
打出租车是最直接的方式,距离大约7公里。如果你想体验当地生活,也可以在首府的中心站乘坐当地的小巴(Louage),票价不到1个第纳尔,但需要等车坐满才发。如果你是自驾前往,教堂附近有充足的空地可以停车,但安保人员会询问你的基本信息。
正常情况下教堂内部是允许拍照的,但严禁开启闪光灯,以免损坏那些古老的瓷砖和织物。但在朝圣节期间或有特定宗教仪式进行时,可能会有临时的禁拍规定。参观时请保持安静,不要在信徒祷告时近距离拍摄他们的面部,这是基本的旅行礼仪。
通常情况下教堂在每天早上9点到下午5点之间开放。周五下午由于准备安息日可能会提前关闭,而周六全天则完全关闭。建议避开中午12点到1点,因为此时工作人员可能会进行午休轮换。如果是针对朝圣节前往,务必提前查阅当年的犹太历日期,因为日期每年都在变动。
Quentin Bonge This Synagogue is one of the oldest in North Africa and has an impressive history. While the main building is not very big it’s central to Djerba and receives a lot of visitors. Highly recommend adding this to your itinerary if you’re looking for an interesting historic destination.
Presteyqah Beautiful and unique synagogue for many reasons. 🙏
Ross Daniels I had pretty high expectations as it was regarded as one of the highlights of Djerba Island. There is no doubt that it is beautifully crafted inside and it has a very long history and remains highly significant for Jewish people in Tunisia today and is the most famous Jewish site for the local community. It is where local Tunisian Jews celebrate the holiday of Lag BaOmer.
Frank Xiong Beautiful place, guarded by security. Must buy a ticket in the front office across the street, go thru a scanner, then across the street. Good parking area. Unique synagogue 🕍 filled with tiles, stained glass, and mosaic architecture.
Rawen Ab This is the oldest Synagogue in North Africa, El Ghriba synagogue is a Maghrebi (Tochavim) Synagogue which means that the Tunisian Jews of Djerba are ethnically Amazighs who converted to Judaism even before the arrival of Sephardic jews who were expelled from Spain and settled in North Africa. Judaism is actually an ethno-religion too. El Ghriba Synagogue has a mysterious, spiritual atmosphere, an old remnant of its glorious past. The colorful tiles with different designs on the walls (blue, green and yellow) combined with white shades oozes off Jewish vibes. As someone who is into religious studies and has always wanted to visit this sacred place, I was a little bit disappointed! I had many questions and i was expecting that someone who explain to us visitors the history of this amazing place and Jewish traditions etc.. it’s always better to get informations from the people who practice Judaism themselves even though it’s easy to access Internet and read everything. We had few questions and wanted to ask the Rabbi and he just shuffled away and left us with no answer and was mumbling in Hebrew.. however, i really recommend visiting this masterpiece of Synagogue, a small one but breathtaking!! And don’t forget to lit a candle for your beloved ones. SHALOM