Qumran National Park

The Qumran National Park is where the fascinating connection is made between the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were found in the Qumran Caves, and the people of the sect of the Essenes who lived here. The Qumran Scrolls were discovered in 1946 by a Bedouin shepherd who went to look for a missing goat and instead found a cave which contained scrolls hidden inside pottery jars. This find led to the discovery of more than 700 scrolls in the area. These findings shed light on the lives of the people of the Dead Sea sects who lived in the area at the time of the rule of the House of the Hasmoneans. These people led here secluded and ascetic lives, far from any human settlement. Among the scrolls are the earliest manuscripts of the Old Testament and they were preserved exceptionally well due to the desert weather conditions in the area. The tour at the Qumran National Park, located within the powerful landscape of wild cliffs and the Dead Sea, starts with a film that is displayed at the Visitors Center and describes the lives of the people of the sect of the Essenes who lived here. After that one can go on a tour of the ritual baths, dining room, writing room and pottery workshops, from which one can learn about the communal way of life of the sect’s members. The Qumran National Park is visited by Christian tourists to the Holy Land, as some connect between John the Baptist and this sect.