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ISRAEL MUSEUM JERUSALEM

 

 

ISRAEL MUSEUM JERUSALEM

 

The Israel Museum (The national Israel Museum) is one of the largest and most prominent museum complexes of art and archeology in the world. Since the founding of the cultural institution in 1965, it has collected the largest collection of more than 500 thousand exhibits, including works in the field of archeology and the arts of different peoples. The institution houses the world's largest collection of biblical archaeological remains from the Holy Land. Artifacts and works of art are located in the closed and open galleries of the museum complex.

 

The history of the founding and exhibits of the Israel Museum

 


The museum was founded in Jerusalem in 1965 under the auspices of the city's mayor, Teddy Kollek. Initially, the complex included several stone buildings designed by the Israeli architect A. Mansfeld. In the summer of 2010, a 3-year, most extensive modernization since its opening was completed. New facilities were installed, the area of the galleries was doubled, and the surrounding landscape was supplemented with new expositions. Walkways connecting the original buildings and 5 new exhibition pavilions were built. James S. Snyder has been the director of the museum since 1997, and in 2017 this post was taken over by the designer, Professor Ido Bruno.

 

The Israeli Museum is located in the center of Jerusalem, in the Givat Ram district, where the Parliament (Knesset), the Israeli Supreme Court, the Hebrew University, and the Museum of Bible Lands are located. The institution receives more than 900,000 visitors annually, including 100,000 schoolchildren who come here for art education programs.

 

The museum fund has more than half a million exhibits in the form of unique artifacts, expositions, and rare works of art from different cultures, dating from prehistoric times to the present day. The most iconic examples are found in necklaces of Yemenite Jewish brides, a crucifix nail during the life of Jesus, a Persian prayer niche with a mosaic (17th century), an anthropomorphic stone in the form of a female figure “Venus from Berehat-Ram”, an exposition of the synagogue from Suriname “Tzedek Ve- Shalom" (1736). Artifacts found in Masada and the surviving Dead Sea Scrolls are also unique.

 

Territory and sectors of the Israel museum complex

 

israel museum dead sea scrolls

 


The Israel Museum covers an area of about 50 thousand square meters. m, on which a complex of architectural structures are located, including the following sectors:

 

Israel Museum Varios Collections - Archaeological Wing

 

The exhibition building is dedicated to the history of the ancient Land of Israel, displaying seven "chapters" of its development with important events. The exhibits are arranged in chronological order - from the prehistoric era to the period of the Ottoman Empire. In the first hall, visitors are greeted by a row of clay coffins from the 13th century BC. e. in the form of a man. Other impressive exhibits include a 3rd-century mosaic floor from Nablus depicting events in the life of Achilles, the Stele of Heliodorus (178 BC), and the Royal Bath of King Herod of Judea (1st century BC). Also notable is Pilate's Stone with a fragmentary inscription from the First Temple period "House of David" (9th century BC) found at Tel Dan. This is the only contemporary extra-biblical mention of the Davidic dynasty that has survived.

 

The Shrine of the Book-Dead Sea Scrolls

 

The oldest biblical manuscripts are stored in the sanctuary - the Dead Sea Scrolls ("Qumran manuscripts"), found in the middle of the 20th century in 11 caves in the Wadi Qumran region in its vicinity (hence the second name of the manuscripts). The sanctuary contains many other early biblical manuscripts from the Middle Ages, as well as the oldest biblical codex in Hebrew of Aleppo (10th century). The Temple of the Book building, designed by architects Armand Bartosz, Frederik Kiesler, and Gezer Heller, is 2/3 underground and has a white dome-shaped roof. Opposite the pavilion, there is a high wall of black basalt. The concept of the project is based on symbolic images in the scroll of the struggle between dark and light forces. In addition, the shape of the building from the outside resembles a jug where the scrolls were kept. Due to their fragility, the original scrolls after 3-6 months of exposure are placed in a special pantry, where they are temporarily “restored”. The largest and best preserved of these, the Isaiah Scroll (2nd century BC), 7.3 m long, is reproduced in the museum in facsimile. During the tour, you can learn the history of the scrolls and their authors "Essenes".

 

Model of Jerusalem from the Second Temple period

 

This is a model of the city of Jerusalem, recreating its topography, and architecture until 66 AD (when it was destroyed by the Romans). The model covers an area of 2 thousand square meters. m. It includes a model of the temple of King Herod and creates an entourage for the presentation of the Temple of the Book, near which it is located.

 

Fine Arts Wing

 

This part of the Israel Museum contains collections of world culture from different eras, including classical and modern works of Israeli, Asian, African, and American fine art. The highlight of this part of the museum complex is the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Gallery, which displays works by Renoir, Rembrandt, Pissarro, Degas, Sisley, Monet, and Cezanne among many others. The Gallery of Modern Art features works by Schiele, Rothko, Motherwell, Pollock, Modigliani, and Bacon, and Israeli art is showcased in a separate pavilion with impressive paintings by Reuven Rubin, and Yosef Zaritsky.

 

Artistic garden

 

Designed by Japanese artist, and landscape architect Isamu Noguchi, it is an outdoor area with sculptures in modernist and abstract styles and is recognized as one of the finest outdoor sculptures of the 20th century. The art garden serves as a backdrop for the exposition of the museum complex with Western-style sculpture. The garden contains sculptures by world-famous masters J. Lipchitz, K. Oldenburg, G. Moore, P. Picasso, D. Smith, and O. Rodin, as well as later works by such authors as M. Abakanovitch, M. Dion, D. Turrell, M. Ullman.

 

Youth Wing

 

This sector was opened in 1966 for the implementation of educational programs in the field of art. This sector of the museum annually receives about 100 thousand schoolchildren, for whom exhibition galleries, training seminars, classes in art studios, a children's library, and a recycling room are held.

In addition to the main buildings of the complex, the museum in Jerusalem operates 2 such remote sites as the Rockefeller Archaeological Museum (1938), displaying artifacts found during excavations in Palestine; and the Ticho House, which regularly hosts exhibitions by local artists.

The Israel Museum is a world-famous major cultural center, which houses a valuable collection of more than half a million rare exhibits that reflect the centuries-old history, culture, and lifestyle of the population of the Holy Land and other peoples. The institution plays a significant role in preserving the Israeli national and world archaeological and artistic heritage, exhibiting important, unique artifacts and works of art from the prehistoric period to the present day. This place is worth a visit for every traveler interested in the stages of forming world traditions.

 

Israel Museum Gift Shop

 

Everyone buys gifts, but only those acquired from the Israel Museum stores come with a narrative that introduces us to brand-new, fascinating worlds.

The rich and unique collection of the museum, as seen in the permanent exhibits and the changing exhibitions, served as inspiration for a wide range of goods that can be found in the museum shops. We cordially invite you to visit and learn the history of the various items that were specially created so that everyone could take a little bit of the museum experience home with them.

The Shrine of the Book, the statue of love in the Art Garden, various Judaica items like mezuzahs, menorahs, Kiddush cups, candlesticks, and more, as well as the museum's major shows like Herod, Wild Color, The Language of the Garment, Abridged History of Mankind, and others, were the inspiration for these products. In Israel and other countries, our chosen products are offered for sale in museums.

 

 

Israel Museum website: https://www.imj.org.il/

Museum Address: Ruppin Blvd. 11, Jerusalem

Languages: Hebrew, English, Russian, Arabic

Entry fee: adults NIS 54, students NIS 39, children aged 5 to 17 and Israeli pensioners NIS 27, foreign pensioners NIS 39, soldiers free.

Opening hours: Tue 16.00-21.00, Wed Thu Sat 10.00-17.00, Fri Sun Mon — day off.

 

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SLAVA BAZARSKY
PHONE: +972 53 4779797