Portuguese Synagogue of Amsterdam

The Portuguese Synagogue rests on a foundation of over one thousand wooden piles driven deep into the soft, swampy soil of Amsterdam. Its interior remains illuminated entirely by natural light from high windows and the glow of hundreds of brass chandeliers. When the Sephardic Jews completed this structure in sixteen seventy-five, it was the largest synagogue in the world. They built it to mirror the Temple of Solomon, choosing sand for the floor to muffle the sound of footsteps and honor their ancestors' desert wanderings.