Dead Sea Scrolls Collection - Israel Museum

The Israel Museum is the largest museum in Israel and one of the best art and archaeology museums in the world. The museum was founded in 1965 and underwent a large-scale expansion and renovation in 2010, with the construction of new exhibition halls and modern equipment and facilities, making the museum more perfect in all aspects. The museum houses nearly 500,000 works of art and archaeological artifacts for visitors to visit. The most talked-about of these is undoubtedly its world's largest collection of biblical artifacts. It is a must-see attraction in Jerusalem. The most famous exhibition hall in the Israel Museum belongs to the Dead Sea Scrolls Museum. To be honest, I visited it for this reason. The Dead Sea Scrolls Museum is built in the Shrine of the Book. It is in the shape of an earthen jar, two-thirds of which are located underground, while the one-third protruding above the ground is covered by a white dome. The Shrine of the Holy Book was designed by Jewish-American architects Armand Bartos and Frederick Kiesler. The museum houses a copy of the world's oldest biblical manuscripts - the Dead Sea Scrolls, and very rare early medieval biblical manuscripts. Taking photos is strictly prohibited in the museum. Those who want to see the ancient scrolls can now get close and observe them online through the digital version on the official website. Next to the Dead Sea Scrolls Museum, there is a model of Jerusalem built at a scale of 1:50, recreating what Jerusalem looked like before it was destroyed by the Romans in 66 AD. Through the model and the Dead Sea Scrolls Museum, visitors can gain a more comprehensive concept and understanding of Jerusalem during the period when Judaism and Christianity developed simultaneously. In addition to the two important attractions mentioned above, the Israel Museum has many other places worth appreciating, such as the Billy Rose Art Garden designed by Japanese-American sculptor Isamu Noguchi. The garden is filled with works by internationally renowned sculptors. It combines oriental scenery with the ancient Jerusalem hillside and is known as the best outdoor sculpture garden in the 20th century. In addition to the outdoor area, the Israel Museum's indoor area is also very colorful, including the Ruth Youth Wing, the Edmond and Lily Safra Fine Arts Wing, the Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Archaeology Wing, the Jack, Joseph, & Morton Mandel Wing for Jewish Art & Life, etc., displaying archaeological relics from different periods and countries, art paintings, Jewish history and relics, which can take half a day to visit slowly. Finally, it is important to note that the Israel Museum ticket includes all the attractions within the park as well as two other off-site attractions operated by the museum (not located at the same location as the museum). These are the Rockefeller Archaeological Museum, which displays ancient Israeli architecture, and the Ticho House, which exhibits paintings by young artists. If you have time, you may want to visit both attractions together.