The museums of Jerusalem

The Shrine of the Book, Jerusalem From the outside, the sanctuary is shaped like a jar lid and inside it holds the Dead Sea Scrolls. © Wilfried Louvet

The city of Jerusalem is home to the city's historic museum where the ancient Palace of Herod was erected in 24 B.C. It later served as residence to the Roman procurator and it would appear that this is where Pontius Pilate judged Christ. The city we see today dates back to as far as the 12th century. It has a museum which tells the story of Jerusalem through a series of models, holograms and films, and to say that it is a ?must see' is an understatement.
There is also the Mardigian Armenian Museum which is centred on the art and history of the Armenian people; and the Old Yishuv Museum, which presents souvenirs and traditions of the diaspora and the Jewish neighbourhood in Jerusalem. At the centre of the Jewish neighbourhood, you will find the Wohl Archeological Museum, where excavations have uncovered the Herodian part of Jerusalem (second half of the Ist century BC) with its luxurious hellenist-style villas: frescoes, mosaics, stucco decorations, ritual baths, etc. You will also see the Islamic Museum, adjacent to the El-Aqsa Mosque, which boasts some very beautiful illuminated Korans.
The Israel Museum, however, is particularly fascinating as it presents a panorama of Jewish civilisation, from the days of the Bible to our times, through archeology, ethnology and art. The ?must see' in this museum is the sanctuary of the Book where famous manuscripts of the Dead Sea, notably the 'Book of Isaiah' are exhibited. (Ist century BC) which is the oldest biblical text that exists (only copies are presented to the public).
As for the Israel Bible Museum, it takes a passionate approach to the relations between ancient Eastern civilisations and the world of the Bible, whereas, in contrast the Rockefeller Museum exhibits the antics of Palestine, from prehistory to the beginning of the Ottoman era. Finally, the Herzl Museum pays homage to Theodore Herzl, the father of Zionism and the creator of the ?Jewish State' and in its adjacent garden can be found the cemetery of the great political personalities of the Hebrew State; the remains of Yitzhak Rabin have been buried there.