Israel Favorites: Part 3 - Qumran

Have you heard of the Qumran caves? Well, if not, maybe you have heard of something that was found in them. The Dead Sea Scrolls? I hope you have heard of those at least. They contained a copy of the book of Isaiah that is in the Holy Bible and is also a book that the Jewish people hold fast to. It was transcribed by a group of men that lived in the caves of the area and spent their lives striving for holiness through cleanliness and daily learning. We had the chance to see the actual cave that the scrolls were first discovered in. If you make it over there, you can watch a video they made to show how all this story came to be. But I will give you the easy version to get through. 

As the story goes, a Bedouin shepherd was searching for his 2 lost goats. He came to the cave and thought maybe his goats had fallen in. So he picked up a rock and tossed it into the cave, hoping to hear them bleat back at him. Instead he heard a loud crash and realized he had smashed something inside the cave. Curious, he dropped down into it and found some old jars. He managed to pull 2 out of the cave and took them to an antiquities dealer. The dealer made a trade with him, then set about to see what was inside. The priceless scrolls truly made his day!

All around the area, you can see caves within the cliffs. Paths lead you to them. I found myself wishing that we were able to explore. To see inside them. But that is the adventurer in me.

Sadly, you can't. They are all secured. You have to stay on platforms for viewing.

If you have a really good camera, you can see into the cave pretty well. Not really special looking, until you know the story behind it. Also, their gift shop was where I managed to find zaatar spice. Amazing stuff! I know we can sometimes find it locally, but I have been told that it isn't as great as the original.