Kahila Kedosha Yashan Synagogue

Ioannina


Open only by appointment, this temple, built in 1829, is nonetheless worth scheduling ahead if you're interested in Ioannina's deep Jewish history. Romaniote Jews (also called Yanniote) settled in the city at least from the 8th century, if not earlier. Complement it with a visit to the Ethnographic Museum, which covers the community in some detail.

Out of some 2000 people, only about 100 of Ioannina's Jews survived the Holocaust. Today about 50 live in the city – and one of them, Moses Elisaf, was elected mayor in 2019.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Ioannina attractions

1. Historical Museum of Ioannina

0.05 MILES

This small private museum has some beautiful objects and gives a concise overview of the city's colourful history, with special attention to Jewish and…

2. Silversmithing Museum

0.17 MILES

Although the centre of Ioannina no longer rings with the distinctive tapping hammers of the city's famous artisans, that sound and their trade are…

3. Municipal Ethnographic Museum

0.19 MILES

Set inside the Aslan Pasha Mosque (1619), the museum exhibits local costumes and period photographs, along with tapestries and prayer shawls from Ioannina…

4. Its Kale

0.2 MILES

A more heavily fortified section within the Kastro, the Its Kale (Inner Castle) today feels less like a citadel than a city park. Inside the ramparts, on…

5. Byzantine Museum

0.27 MILES

This museum presents early Christian and Byzantine art, pottery, coins and silverware, plus post-Byzantine icons and manuscripts, early Venetian-produced…

6. Archaeological Museum

0.34 MILES

This museum digs deeper into history than many others in Greece, staring in the ice age, with such relics as 120,000-year-old fossilized rhinoceros teeth…

7. Moni Filanthropinon

1 MILES

This monastery, active at least since the 13th century, bursts with flowers and is tended by kindly nuns – in stark contrast with its church, in which one…

8. Ioannina Island

1.04 MILES

In the middle of the lake, the reed-encircled patch of land locals just call To Nisi (The Island) is a pretty, peaceful destination, whether you just want…