The Israel Museum is the country’s largest and most important cultural institution — an expansive, beautifully laid-out campus in West Jerusalem that holds two of the most significant exhibits in the land: the Dead Sea Scrolls and a vast model of Jerusalem as it stood in the Second Temple period. It is an essential half-day, especially for anyone interested in the archaeology and history behind the sites in the Old City.
The highlights
The Shrine of the Book & the Dead Sea Scrolls
The museum’s signature building is the Shrine of the Book, a striking white domed structure (its lid echoes the jar lids in which the scrolls were found) set opposite a black basalt wall — a deliberate evocation of the War of the Sons of Light against the Sons of Darkness. Inside are the Dead Sea Scrolls, the roughly 2,000-year-old manuscripts discovered at Qumran by the Dead Sea, among the oldest known biblical texts in the world. Rotating originals and facsimiles protect the fragile documents.
The Second Temple Model
Beside the Shrine sits a sprawling 1:50 scale model of Jerusalem in 66 CE, on the eve of the Great Revolt against Rome — the city at the height of the Second Temple period, with Herod’s temple complex, the Antonia Fortress and the streets that lie beneath today’s Old City. Walking around it brings the Temple Mount and Western Wall vividly to life.
Archaeology, Jewish art and fine art
The main galleries are outstanding:
- Archaeology Wing — a sweeping journey through the material history of the land, from prehistory through the biblical and classical periods.
- Jewish Art & Life Wing — synagogue interiors transplanted from around the world, ritual objects and the rhythms of Jewish life.
- Fine Arts Wing — European masters and modern and contemporary art.
- The Billy Rose Art Garden — a sculpture garden with works by Rodin, Picasso and others, and fine views.
Visiting tips
- Allow half a day (3–4 hours); the campus is large and easy to underestimate.
- Start with the Shrine of the Book and the model before the main galleries, especially in summer (they are partly outdoors).
- Getting there — the museum is in the Givat Ram district near the Knesset and the Bible Lands Museum, a short bus or taxi from the centre.
- Hours are reduced on Fridays and around Shabbat and holidays — check before visiting, and consider the combined ticket if you also plan the Bible Lands Museum.
Plan your visit
Pair the Israel Museum with the related sites it illuminates — Qumran and the Dead Sea on one day, the Old City, Temple Mount and Yad Vashem on others. See the full Jerusalem guide and the 3-day Jerusalem itinerary to slot it in.
