Synagogue floor

Images of a small shrine with a conch-shaped ceiling, flanked by menorahs and Temple implements, became a symbol of the Temple that had been destroyed and was an expression of the yearning for redemption. These images, or parts of them, were rendered on the stone elements of buildings and on everyday items of various materials, preserving the memory of the Temple and its rites. They were also depicted on the mosaic floors of Byzantine synagogues in front of the Torah shrine.The center of this mosaic depicts a shrine with two columns. It probably represented both the Temple and the wall of the synagogue that contained the Torah shrine, which can be seen in the mosaic covered by a curtain (parokhet). It is flanked by large menorahs with glass oil lamps, incense shovels, and shofars, objects used in the Temple rites.