Portugese Synagoge in Amsterdam

You're standing at the Portuguese Synagogue, known to its own community as the Esnoga, or simply the Snoge. Look at that huge, sober block behind the fence. When it was dedicated in 1675, it was the largest synagogue in the world. Low buildings surround the forecourt and enclose the synagogue on three sides. That layout, and the shape of the building itself, are a nod to Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem.