The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in caves above the Dead Sea’s northwestern shore, but the manuscripts themselves are no longer kept there. The principal scrolls are displayed at the Shrine of the Book, a dedicated wing of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem that opened in 1965, approximately 90 minutes by road from the Ein Bokek hotel district. The discovery site itself, Qumran National Park, preserves the excavated settlement and cave viewpoints, and one famous manuscript, the Copper Scroll, is held in Amman, Jordan.
What Are the Dead Sea Scrolls?
The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of roughly 900 ancient manuscripts, recovered as more than 25,000 fragments from 11 caves near Qumran, beginning with the first discovery in 1947. They include the oldest known copies of Hebrew Bible texts alongside prayers, community rules, and sectarian works such as the War Scroll. Many scholars attribute the collection to the Essenes, a Jewish sect that lived at Qumran until the Roman destruction of the settlement.
According to the Israel Antiquities Authority’s Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library, the Qumran scrolls date from the third century BCE to the first century CE, were written mostly in Hebrew with about 15 percent in Aramaic and several texts in Greek, and survive mainly as parchment fragments rather than complete manuscripts.
For the discovery story and the texts themselves, see our guides to what the Dead Sea Scrolls are, how the scrolls relate to the Old and New Testaments, and the wider history of the Dead Sea region.
The Shrine of the Book: Where the Principal Scrolls Are Displayed
The Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem displays original Dead Sea Scroll manuscripts and fragments. Encyclopaedia Britannica describes the Shrine as home to the manuscripts found in caves near the Dead Sea, believed to have formed the library of an ancient Jewish sect.
The Shrine opened in 1965 as a wing of the Israel Museum and was built around the Great Isaiah Scroll, found in Qumran Cave 1, which Britannica lists among the best preserved manuscripts in the entire collection. One important detail catches most visitors by surprise: the Great Isaiah Scroll was removed from permanent display for conservation in 1968, so the scroll wrapped around the raised drum beneath the white dome is an exact facsimile. The original is kept in controlled storage, with only a small section shown in a side vitrine. The other manuscripts and fragments around it are genuine.
The Great Isaiah Scroll is also the most studied scroll in the collection. In 2011 it became one of five large scrolls published online through an Israel Museum and Google collaboration, so you can read every column digitally before or after your visit.
Ancient parchment is fragile and light sensitive, and the specific manuscripts on display can change. If seeing a particular scroll matters to you, confirm what is currently exhibited on the Israel Museum’s official website before you travel.
A Dome Modeled on the Scroll Jar Lids
The building is a landmark in its own right. Architects Frederick Kiesler and Armand Bartos designed the Shrine of the Book, which was dedicated in 1965; it was Kiesler’s last major work, and he died that same year. The Israel Museum explains that the distinctive white dome represents the lids of the clay jars in which Bedouin shepherds discovered the first scrolls at Qumran in 1947. The architecture turns the story of the discovery into the experience of the visit.
Qumran National Park: See Where the Scrolls Were Found
Qumran National Park is the archaeological site, not the scroll museum. Visitors walk through the excavated settlement, including ritual baths and communal buildings, and look up at viewpoints toward the caves where the manuscripts lay hidden for nearly two millennia. The Israel Nature and Parks Authority operates a visitor center with a museum display, a multilingual film, and a wheelchair-accessible archaeological trail.
Qumran National Park, located on Route 90 near Kibbutz Kalya at the northern Dead Sea, charges 31 shekels for adults and 16 shekels for children as of 2026, according to the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, with reduced rates for students, groups, and Israeli senior citizens.
Our dedicated Qumran visitor guide covers the site in depth, including the trail link to Einot Tzukim (Ein Feshkha) Nature Reserve. Scroll fragments were also recovered at Masada, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority, a natural companion stop for anyone tracing the manuscripts’ story.
The Copper Scroll and The Jordan Museum in Amman
One celebrated manuscript is not in Jerusalem at all. The Copper Scroll, found by archaeologists in Qumran Cave 3 in 1952, was incised on thin copper sheets rather than written on parchment, and it catalogs hidden treasures of gold and silver that have never been found, an inventory some scholars regard as literary fiction, according to the American Society of Overseas Research.
Because the oxidized metal could not be unrolled, the scroll was sawn into 23 curved segments by Professor H. Wright Baker at the Manchester College of Technology, beginning with the first cut on 1 October 1955 and finishing in early 1956. All 23 segments are held in Amman, at The Jordan Museum, making Jordan’s capital the one place to see this famous treasure inventory.
Deciding whether an Amman detour fits your route? Our comparison of the Israel and Jordan sides of the Dead Sea can help.
Planning a Scrolls Day from the Dead Sea
The three sites reward different amounts of time. Here is how they compare for visitors based at the Dead Sea hotels.
| Site | What you see | Location | Drive from Ein Bokek |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shrine of the Book | Original scroll manuscripts and fragments; the Great Isaiah Scroll centerpiece is a facsimile | Israel Museum, Jerusalem | Approximately 90 minutes |
| Qumran National Park | Excavated settlement, cave viewpoints, visitor center film | Route 90, northern Dead Sea | Approximately 1 hour |
| The Jordan Museum | Copper Scroll segments | Amman, Jordan | Separate trip via a border crossing |
Drive times are approximate and exclude traffic, stops, and border processing.
The most efficient pairing is a Jerusalem day: drive north along the Dead Sea on Route 90, stop at Qumran in the morning, then continue the remaining half-hour or so up to the Israel Museum. Our Dead Sea transportation guide covers the drive and the bus options, and our Dead Sea day trip from Jerusalem guide covers the same route in reverse. If you have more time, the 3-day Dead Sea itinerary shows where a scrolls day fits alongside Masada, Ein Gedi, and beach time.
Tickets, Hours, and What to Check Before You Go
The Shrine of the Book is a wing of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, so entry is arranged through the museum itself. Plan around the museum’s closing day before anything else: the Israel Museum is closed on Sundays.
- Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday: 10:00 to 16:00
- Tuesday: 16:00 to 20:00
- Friday: 10:00 to 14:00
- Sunday: closed
Holiday and special-day hours vary, and ticket prices change periodically, so confirm current admission arrangements on the Israel Museum’s official website before you commit to a day.
Qumran National Park hours and fees are published by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. Verified on 22 July 2026, the park runs 08:00 to 17:00 in summer and 08:00 to 16:00 in winter, closing an hour earlier on Fridays and holiday eves, and at 13:00 on the eves of Rosh Hashanah, Passover, and Yom Kippur. Last entry is one hour before closing. Check the Parks Authority site before visiting.
Two practical notes. First, allow real time in Jerusalem: the Shrine of the Book is one wing of a much larger museum campus. Second, summer heat at Qumran is serious, so bring water and do the outdoor walking in the morning.
The scrolls make the most sense when you experience both halves of their story: the silent caves above the Dead Sea and the manuscripts under the Jerusalem dome. Pair Qumran with the Shrine of the Book on a single day trip, add Masada if the manuscripts’ final chapter interests you, and you will have traced 2,000 years of history along one road.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are the original Dead Sea Scrolls today?
The principal Dead Sea Scrolls are kept at the Shrine of the Book, a wing of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem that opened in 1965, where original manuscripts and fragments are on display. The Great Isaiah Scroll is the exception inside the building itself: it was withdrawn from permanent display for conservation in 1968, and the scroll shown beneath the dome is a facsimile. Thousands of additional fragments are conserved by the Israel Antiquities Authority, which publishes digital images through its Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library. The Copper Scroll is the other exception: its 23 segments are held at The Jordan Museum in Amman.
Are there real scrolls on display at Qumran National Park?
No. Qumran National Park preserves the excavated settlement and the landscape of the discovery, with a visitor center, a film, and viewpoints toward the caves, but the manuscripts themselves were moved for conservation long ago. Visit Qumran to understand where and how the scrolls were found, then see original manuscripts at the Shrine of the Book in Jerusalem, roughly 30 minutes further by road.
Can I visit Qumran and the Shrine of the Book on the same day?
Yes, and it is the natural pairing. Qumran sits on Route 90 at the northern Dead Sea, on the direct driving route between the Dead Sea hotels and Jerusalem. Most visitors spend 1 to 2 hours at Qumran, then continue to the Israel Museum. Starting early keeps the outdoor part of the day ahead of the desert heat and leaves a full afternoon for the museum. Remember that the Israel Museum is closed on Sundays, so a Sunday scrolls day can only cover Qumran.
How much does it cost to visit the scroll sites?
Qumran National Park entry fees are set by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, with reduced rates for students, groups, and Israeli senior citizens; the current adult and child rates are listed in the Qumran section above. The Shrine of the Book is a wing of the Israel Museum, which handles its own admission, and rates change periodically, so check the museum’s official website for current ticket prices before your visit.
Sources
- Shrine of the Book, Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Dead Sea Scrolls, Encyclopaedia Britannica
- The Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library, Israel Antiquities Authority
- Qumran National Park, Israel Nature and Parks Authority
- Shrine of the Book and Visitor Information, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem
- The Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Project, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, in partnership with Google
- A Treasure Quest in the Copper Scroll from Qumran, The Ancient Near East Today, American Society of Overseas Research
- Copper Scroll, West Semitic Research Project, University of Southern California
