MuseumChick | Danee Gilmartin

It is home to the Dead Sea Scrolls (the oldest Hebrew biblical manuscript) at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. This building, which is a wing of the museum, is called the Shrine of the Book and was designed to resemble the lids of the jars in which the first scrolls were found in the Qumran Caves. Although you can’t see it in my picture, the white dome sits on top of a reflecting pool that sprays water towards the building. Adjacent is a tall black basalt wall. Together they represent the War of the Sons of Light and the Sons of Darkness, also know as the War Scroll.

It was designed by American Jewish architects, Armand P. Bartos and Frederic J. Kiesler in 1965, which initially caused a fuss because they were not Israeli.

No pictures are allowed inside, so let me give you a visual– when I first walked in I was met with the foyer area displaying information on where and how the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Walking further inside, I entered into a long, dark tunnel representing the Qumran caves. This lead to the dimly-lit two tier circular interior (inside the white dome). On the first tier, the manuscripts are rolled out along the walls circling the center raised tier where a display case in the shape of a Torah holder (Etz Chaim) houses The Great Isaiah Scroll. This scroll is one of the oldest manuscripts discovered in Qumran and is the best preserved of all the biblical manuscripts. It dates from about 100 BCE and is 66 chapters, discovered in its entirety. Truly amazing. 

©2011 Danee Gilmartin All rights reserved

Do you know who the Baha’i are? I didn’t until I visited the Baha’i Shrine and Gardens in Haifa Israel last summer. The gardens are an elaborate and colorful oasis in a sea of industrial and high-tech companies with a gold domed shrine at the bottom. This UNESCO World Heritage site is one of the faith’s holiest sites and Haifa is the international headquarters for the Baha’i Faith, a faith which emphasizes unity across cultures and religions.

Visiting these gardens on a tour through Israel was the first time I of heard of the Baha’i and I was so humbled to hear its peaceful message of their belief in the unity of all religions. Standing at the top of the cascading gardens, our tour guide informed us that the Baha’i faith started in Persia in the 19th century with a belief that messengers of God like Moses, Jesus and Muhammad had been sent at different times in history bringing messages that vary to fit changing social needs, but all have brought substantially the same message.

The gardens were originally designed by the late Guardian of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi.  Recently they had been redesigned by Fariborz Sahba, who is a prominent Iranian Baha’i architect who has designed many prestigious buildings all over the world, including many in Iran. The mausoleum was designed by William Sutherland Maxwell, who is a Canadian architect who has long supported the Baha’i faith.

©2011 Danee Gilmartin All rights reserved