Add a review about the Rockefeller Archaeological Museum in Jerusalem

The Rockefeller Museum, which used to be the name of the Palestinian Archaeological Museum, is located in the eastern part of Jerusalem .Here is a large collection of artifacts discovered during excavations at the Palestinian Mandara in the 1920s-1930s .Even before the foundation of the museum in the old building of the city, the Department of Antiques of the British Mandate and the British School of Archeology opened a small exhibition hall in the old town house .In the year 1925, .James Henry Breasted, founder and director of the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago, visited Palestine and realized that Jerusalem necessarily needs an archaeological museum .He turned to the famous philanthropist John D .Rockefeller, and he donated 2 million USD for this project .The first stone in the construction of the museum was laid in 1930 ., but then the construction halted due to the discovery of the tombs of the 5th century before n .e .in the very place where the museum was erected .The official opening was held in 1938 ., and today the museum is under the control of the Museum of Israel .

Among the most famous items that can be seen here are wooden panels from the Al-Aqsa Mosque (8th century) and marble bridges from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (12th century).

The artifacts collected in the museum are grouped in chronological order, starting from objects of two million years ago and ending with the finds of 1700 BC. e. There is a Paleolithic, epipaleolithic, Neolithic pre-ceramic and ceramic periods, the Eneolithic collection, as well as collections of early, middle and late Bronze Age, Iron Age, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, early and late Islamic periods.

Among the most famous items that can be seen here are wooden panels from the Al-Aqsa Mosque (8th century) and marble crosspieces from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (12th century) .Most of the finds were made in the 1920s-1930s .In the expositions you can find artifacts from Jerusalem, Megiddo, Ashkelon, Samaria and Jericho .The epoch of the Talmud is represented by the mosaic floor of the 6th century found in the ancient synagogue of Ein Gedi, on which the inscription in Aramaic is carved. "Everyone who rejects his family, incites enmity, steals, slanders friends or discovers the secret of Ein Gedi's balm, be damned ยป.

In winter, visitors are recommended to dress warmly, as they are not drowning in the museum.
Archaeological Museum of Rockefeller in Jerusalem

Until 1967, several Scrolls of the Dead Sea were kept in the Rockefeller Museum, but after the occupation of East Jerusalem they were moved to the Temple of the Book in the territory of the Museum of Israel. Until now, the right to own scrolls is the subject of disputes.

Practical information

Address: Sultan Suleiman street, 27 (right behind the wall of the Old City, near the gate of Herod).

You can get to the museum by buses 1, 3 and 51.

Opening hours: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday: 10:00 - 15:00, Saturday: 10:00 - 14:00.

The entrance is free.