The Israel Museum: Home of the Dead Sea Scrolls

The Israel Museum is the country's Louvre: the national collection of archaeology, Jewish art and life, and fine arts, spread across a hilltop campus in Jerusalem - and home to the single most famous artifacts in the land, the Dead Sea Scrolls. If you see one museum in Israel, see this one.

The Shrine of the Book

The white dome of the Shrine of the Book - shaped like the lid of the jars the scrolls were found in - holds the Dead Sea Scrolls themselves: 2,000-year-old biblical manuscripts discovered in the Qumran caves, including the complete Great Isaiah Scroll. Seeing the actual parchment, in the hushed circular gallery built around it, is one of Jerusalem's genuine goosebump moments. Outside, the Second Temple Model recreates Jerusalem in 66 CE at 1:50 scale - the city's best visual key to everything you'll later see in the Old City.

Three wings, half a day

The archaeology wing walks the land's story from prehistory through the Ottomans - don't miss the Pilate inscription and the Herodian finds. The Jewish art and life wing gathers synagogue interiors transplanted whole from Italy, India and Yemen, plus ceremonial art across centuries. The fine arts wing holds European masters, Israeli art and a sculpture garden designed by Isamu Noguchi with views across the city. The youth wing is one of the world's best children's museum programs.

Practical tips

Plan three hours minimum; enthusiasts lose whole days. The museum sits in the government quarter near the Knesset - a short taxi or bus ride from the center, and it pairs naturally with the Bible Lands Museum across the road. Free for under-18s; Tuesday afternoons and evenings run late. The Shrine of the Book occasionally rotates scroll displays for conservation - everything else stays. Do the museum before your Old City day: the model makes everything after it click.