- Address: Derech Ruppin, Jerusalem, Israel;
- Foundation date: 1965;
- Architect: Alfred Mansfeld;
- Website: imj.org.il;
- Phone: +972 2-670-8811;
- Opening hours: Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sat, Sun. from 10:00 to 17:00, Fri. from 10:00 to 14:00, Tues. from 16:00 to 21:00.
The Museum of Israel in Jerusalem is one of the leading archaeological institutions, because in its collection there are objects related to prehistoric times. It opened relatively recently, but its collection already amounts to 500 thousand exhibits. Much has been collected with the help of sponsors, but the significance of the exposure from this does not become less. The museum is the pride of Israel and is of great value to the whole world.
What is the museum?
The Israeli Museum was opened in 1965, but all construction work was completed only in the summer of 2010, by that time new galleries were built. Alfred Mansfeld and Dora Gad worked on the design. The main architect, who was responsible for updating and restructuring, was appointed James Carpenter.
The Israeli Museum in Jerusalem is located near the quarry of Solomon. Now this is a huge man-made cave measuring 9 thousand m².
The museum contains unique finds, for example, the world's oldest biblical manuscripts and the largest collection of Judaism in the world. The museum collection also includes the Dead Sea Scrolls .
All expositions are divided into the following topics:
- The Temple of the Book ;
- Archaeological Museum ;
- Museum of Jewish Studies and Jewish Ethnography ;
- Museum of Fine Arts ;
- Garden of Arts ;
- Youth wing of the museum .
Museum Attractions
The Museum of Israel offers a variety of attractions for tourists to visit, among which you can list the following:
- The main attraction of the museum is the Temple of the Book, on the architecture of which worked Armand Bartos and Frederic Kisler. Here tourists can admire the urban outlines and buildings before the destruction of 66 AD.
- A significant part of the exhibits is occupied by the wing dedicated to the fine arts of Edward and Lily Safra. Visitors can see how the old works, and works of contemporary art. In addition to the huge number of exhibits devoted to Jewish art, there is a large collection of European art. Here you can see the works of Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin.
- The exposition of the 20th century is still being replenished with new items. Often they come from donors as single specimens, but it happens that they are also whole collections.
- Children and teenagers will be interested to visit the Youth Wing, where various art courses are held, as well as an exhibition of illustrated books and toys. In the memory of the children will necessarily remain family evenings and pajama parties.
- The Israel History Museum (Jerusalem) has a huge collection of archaeological finds that have been found in various parts of the country. Here you can also learn about the invention of the alphabet, monetary relations and the history of glass.
- The most favorite place for tourists is the Art Garden, where all the exhibits are located in the open air. In the evening from here you can admire the beautiful sunset. The garden collection includes famous sculptures from around the world.
Information for visitors
The operating mode of the museum differs somewhat from the others, because it is open for visitors from Sunday to Thursday: from 10.00 to 17.00. The exception is Tuesday, on this day visitors will see the exhibits from 16 to 21.00. The museum regime on Friday and Saturday is 10.00 to 14.00 and 10.00 to 16.00, respectively. To view the exposition of the museum in a quiet environment, you should come early, otherwise there may be problems with parking.
For convenience, it is better to take an audio guide, which is available in the museum in different languages. The cost of the visit is approximately $ 14 per adult. Children, pensioners and students can buy a discount ticket.
How to get there?
The Museum of Israel can easily be reached by public transport: buses Nos. 7, 9, 14, 35 and 66, as well as bus number 100 of the Park and Ride service.