THE SHRINE OF THE BOOK: THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS
The Shrine of the Book was built in 1965 to house the Dead Sea Scrolls. The signature white dome, with below-ground galleries, is reflected in a surrounding pool of water.
The Scrolls, discovered in eleven caves between 1947-56, were purchased as a gift for the state of Israel by David Samuel Gottesman, a Hungarian émigré and philanthropist.
THE BILLY ROSE ART GARDEN
Designed by Japanese-American sculptor Isamu Noguchi, the Billy Rose Art Garden is one of the most popular parts of the museum’s 20-acre campus. Considered one of Noguchi’s masterpieces, the art garden displays works by great sculptors of the late 19th and 20th century—Auguste Rodin, Pablo Picasso, Henry Moore and others, including acclaimed Israeli sculptors Ezra Orion and Benni Efrat.
Situated on the western slope of the Museum campus, the art garden resembles a Japanese Zen garden, its paths lined with local plants and trees. The stunning garden also represents a synthesis of three cultures—the Far East, Near East, and the West—against the backdrop of Jerusalem’s dramatic landscape.
