According to tradition Rabbi Abuhav designed the synagogue and his disciples erected the building in Safed when they arrived in the 1490s after the expulsion from Spain . Another legend claims that the synagogue was transported miraculously from Spain to Safed . The synagogue was almost completely destroyed in the 1837 earthquake , only the southern wall containing the arks remained standing and exists today as a remnant of the original building
1837 earthquake
Galilee earthquake of 1837
Abuhav synagogue