In 1947, a Bedouin shepherd named Muhammad edh-Dhib was searching for a lost goat among the cliffs above the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea. He threw a stone into a cave and heard the sound of breaking pottery. Inside, he found clay jars containing ancient scrolls wrapped in linen. The discovery turned out to be the most important archaeological find of the 20th century: the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest known copies of the Hebrew Bible, dating back over 2,000 years.
The Site
The ruins at Qumran sit on a marl terrace above the Dead Sea, overlooking the caves where the scrolls were found. The settlement, occupied from the 2nd century BCE to 68 CE, is believed by most scholars to have been the home of the Essenes, a Jewish sect described by the ancient writers Josephus, Philo, and Pliny. The Essenes lived communally, practiced strict ritual purity, studied scripture, and, according to the prevailing theory, copied and preserved the scrolls that were hidden in the nearby caves when the Romans approached during the Great Revolt.
Buildings
The excavated settlement includes a large communal dining hall (refectory), a scriptorium (writing room) where the scrolls may have been copied, ritual baths (mikvaot), a pottery workshop where the scroll jars were likely made, and a sophisticated water system that channeled flash-flood water from the surrounding wadis into cisterns. The scriptorium contained the remains of long, plastered tables and inkwells, consistent with the work of scribes.
The Caves
Eleven caves in the cliffs and the marl terrace yielded scrolls and fragments. Cave 1, where the initial discovery was made, produced the Great Isaiah Scroll, the Community Rule, and the War Scroll. Cave 4, a man-made chamber carved into the terrace just meters from the settlement, contained fragments of over 500 manuscripts, the largest cache of any cave. Cave 11, discovered in 1956, produced the Temple Scroll, the longest of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The caves are visible from the site but are not open to visitors for conservation reasons.
Essenes
The Essenes, as described by the Jewish historian Josephus, the philosopher Philo of Alexandria, and the Roman author Pliny the Elder, were one of three major Jewish movements in the Second Temple period, alongside the Pharisees and the Sadducees. They lived in communities that emphasized strict ritual purity, communal meals, communal property, and intensive study of scripture. New members underwent a probationary period of up to three years before being fully admitted. They rose before dawn for prayer, worked during the day, and ate together in a communal dining hall.
Pliny placed the Essenes “on the west side of the Dead Sea,” above Ein Gedi, a description that matches the location of Qumran precisely. The Community Rule scroll, found in Cave 1, describes an organization strikingly similar to what Josephus and Pliny reported: a strict hierarchy, communal ownership, ritual immersion, expulsion for violations, and a deep belief that they were living in the last days before God’s final judgment.
For the full story of the scrolls, their discovery, content, and significance, see The Dead Sea Scrolls.
Controversy
Not all scholars accept the connection between the settlement and the scrolls. Some argue that Qumran was a villa, a military fort, or a commercial pottery center, and that the scrolls were brought from Jerusalem and hidden in the caves during the war. The debate continues, but the majority view remains that the settlement and the scrolls are connected, and that Qumran was home to the community that produced at least some of the texts.
Visitor Center
The Qumran National Park includes a visitor center with a short film, a museum displaying replica scrolls and artifacts, and a walking path through the excavated settlement. The views from the site, looking east across the Dead Sea to the mountains of Jordan, are spectacular. The Israel Museum in Jerusalem, where the original scrolls are displayed in the Shrine of the Book, is the natural complement to a Qumran visit.
Visit with Hoshen Tours
Qumran connects naturally with Masada, Ein Gedi, and the Dead Sea. Hoshen Tours tells the scroll story at Qumran and completes it at the Israel Museum.