Museum sights in Jerusalem
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Bible Lands Museum
This museum chronologically reveals the history of the Holy Lands with a wealth of well-displayed artefacts and background information.
The museum was founded by Dr Elie Borowski, a Polish-born academic who fought the Nazis in Germany and later moved to Switzerland, where he became known as one of the leading dealers of art from the antiquities. In his fascination for biblical times, Elie had it in mind to establish an institute where people of different faiths could join together and return to the morals and ethics laid out by the Bible. This museum is the result of his work.
Exhibits date from 6000 BC to AD 600 and include some 2000 artefacts ranging from mosaics and…
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B
Montefiore Windmill Museum
The windmill was part of a scheme developed by Sir Moses Montefiore, an English Jewish philanthropist who visited the Holy Land seven times in the mid-19th century. Hoping to aid the Jews residing in Jerusalem, and seeking to ease overcrowding within the city walls, Montefiore built a block of 24 apartments, a development known as Mishkenot Sha'ananim (Tranquil Dwellings).
The windmill was built in 1857 in the small Yemin Moshe neighbourhood to provide the basis for a flour industry. (It was one of the first Jerusalem structures to be built outside the secure confines of the Old City.) The scheme failed and the Montefiore windmill is now an eccentric landmark serving as a…
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C
Yad Vashem
The effects that the Holocaust wrought on the Jewish people still reverberate strongly in the Diaspora and, especially, Israel. It was a tragedy from which grew the modern State of Israel, and its legacy has defined the national psyche for more than half a century. In 1953 the Knesset set forth a plan to memorialise the six million Jews who died at the hands of the Nazis, and honour those who tried to save them. The result was Yad Vashem, a vast, landscaped complex with a visitors centre, a museum and a dozen memorials scattered over 45 acres of the Mount of Remembrance.
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D
Rockefeller Museum
Archaeology buffs who do not get their fill at the Israel Museum should also visit East Jerusalem’s Rockefeller Museum. The historic, octagonal-shaped building was set up with a gift of US$2 million donated by the Rockefeller family in 1927, and in its heyday was the leading museum of antiquities in the region. Highlights include the carved beams from Al-Aqsa Mosque, the stone ornamentation recovered from Hisham’s Palace, and the famed ‘Lachish Letters’ that describe the last days of the Kingdom of Judah (6th century BC). Take note of the abbreviated opening hours.
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Time Elevator
If you prefer to have your history delivered to you in a Disney-type format, check out the Time Elevator, a cross between a museum, a theatre and a carnival ride. Once inside the theatre, spectators are jolted around in their seats along with the on-screen action as Chaim Topol (former star of Fiddler on the Roof) leads them through Jerusalem’s equally moving history. Rides take place every half-hour and it’s especially recommended if you have children with you. Reservations are required.
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F
Christ Church
Located just across from the Citadel in the Jaffa Gate area, Christ Church was the Holy Land’s first Protestant church, consecrated in 1849. It was built by the London Society for Promoting Christianity Among the Jews (known today as CMJ, the Church’s Ministry Among the Jews). The society’s founders were inspired by the belief that the Jews would be restored to what was then Turkish Palestine, and that many would acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Messiah before He returned.
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Museum of Italian Jewish Art & Synagogue
This museum contains a rich collection of tapestries, Torah arks and other Judaica brought here from Italy in the 1950s. The entire interior of the building, in fact, originally comes from an 18th-century synagogue in Conegliano Vento (near Venice), which was transported across the Mediterranean and rebuilt here in the Jerusalem. It now serves the needs of Italian Jews in Jerusalem and is the only synagogue outside Italy where the ancient Italian liturgy is performed.
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LA Mayer Museum for Islamic Art
At the southern fringe of Rehavia, close to the Presidential Palace, the LA Mayer Museum for Islamic Art showcases art from Islamic cultures from Spain to India. The museum and research centre, completed in 1974, was founded as a way to bridge the cultural divide between Jews and their Arab neighbours. Exhibits include jewellery, carpets, brassware, glasswork and paintings; there are guided tours in English upon request (call ahead).
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Armenian Museum
Originally a theological seminary (1843), with an attractive courtyard enclosed by arched colonnades on two levels, the building that houses the Armenian Museum is a lot more fascinating than most of the exhibits it presents. It's reasonably well stocked and the displays are in English. There is a detailed display of the Armenian genocide that took place in 1915. Look out for the large Armenian globe dating from 1852 in the Paul Bedoukian hall.
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Tower of David Museum
The Jaffa Gate area is dominated by the Crusader Citadel, which includes Herod’s Tower and the Tower of David minaret. It’s occupied by the highly worthwhile Tower of David Museum, which tells the entire history of Jerusalem in a concise and easily digestible format. Revolving art exhibits in the halls and gardens add an especially pleasant angle. There are also good views of the city from the highest ramparts.
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Jerusalem Archaeological Park & Davidson Centre
On the southern side of the Western Wall, the recently renovated Jerusalem Archaeological Park & Davidson Centre is a peek into the history of the Temple Mount and its surrounding areas, displaying the remains of streets, columns, walls and plazas exposed by modern archaeologists. Byzantine and Arab structures are among the ruins, as well as finds from the Herodian period.
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Wohl Archaeological Museum
Down a narrow alleyway east of Hurva Sq, the impressive Wohl Archaeological Museum, features a 1st-century home and several Herodian archaeological sites, plus interpretive displays. The museum details the lavish lifestyle enjoyed in the Jewish neighbourhood of Herod’s city. Exhibits include frescoes, stucco reliefs, mosaic floors, ornaments, furniture and household objects.
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Israel Museum
Consider the Israel Museum to be a road map for your travels throughout the country. By visiting early in your stay you’ll get a good grounding on the 5000 years of history that you are about to explore. Note that your ticket is also good for seven days to visit the Rockefeller Museum. Don’t forget to pick up a complimentary audio guide from the visitors centre.
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Rachel Ben-Zvi Centre
Across from the Israelite Tower, the Rachel Ben-Zvi Centre, also on Shone HaLakhot St, exhibits a scale model of Jerusalem in the First Temple period, which shows archaeological findings from the period of King David and his followers. The centre’s other exhibits include an audiovisual history of the city from 1000 to 586 BC.
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Bloomfield Science Museum
Filled with hands-on exhibits that enlighten on everything from atom smashers to the exploration of Mars, the kid-friendly Bloomfield Science Museum makes for a good break from Jerusalem’s mass of ancient history. Visiting here also gives you a chance to look around the grounds of the Hebrew University campus.
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Herzl Museum
The history of the Zionist dream is detailed in the newly renovated Herzl Museum, a multimedia journey into the life of Theodor Herzl. The tour is by appointment only.
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Museum on the Seam
Conflict, prejudice, racism (and occasional coexistence) are on display at the Museum on the Seam, a socio-political/contemporary-art museum that pulls no punches.
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Last Ditch Battle of the Jewish Quarter Museum
The Last Ditch Battle of the Jewish Quarter Museum documents the 1948 campaign for control over the city. It's close to the large menorah near the southern end of the Cardo.
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Wolfson Museum
The Wolfson Museum, housed inside the massive building, features presentations of religious and traditional Jewish life.
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