Founded in 1965, Israel's national museum is situated in Jerusalem near the Knesset and the Supreme Court. Jerusalem's mayor, Teddy Kollek, was the driving force behind its establishment.
The Israel Museum holds a collection of approximately 500,000 objects, making it one of the leading art and archeology museums in the world. The archeology wing houses a tremendous collection of archaeological findings from the ancient land. The Shrine of the Book wing contains the Dead Sea Scrolls – the oldest biblical manuscripts.
The museum holds many other fascinating items; such as model of Jerusalem during the Second Temple era, and fine arts wing . Among the most unique objects are the interior of a 1736 synagogue from Suriname, and a nail attesting to crucifixion in Jesus’ time.