Bible Lands Museum

The Bible Lands Museum at 21 Granot Street in the Givat Ram district of West Jerusalem, Israel, presents the civilisations of the ancient Near East that surround and shape the biblical story. It sits across the road from the Israel Museum and focuses on how Mesopotamia, Egypt, Anatolia, Persia and Canaan interacted. The private collection was founded by Elie Borowski, a collector who gathered artefacts including cuneiform tablets, seals, statuettes, jewellery and pottery. The museum organises its galleries chronologically and by region, so a walk through traces writing from its earliest forms, the rise of cities and empires, and the development of religious beliefs. Highlights include Sumerian and Babylonian clay tablets, Egyptian funerary objects, Hittite and Assyrian sculpture, and a gallery on the invention of the alphabet. Display cases give regional context rather than isolating objects, and timelines connect the artefacts to events described in the Hebrew Bible. Interactive stations and short video installations help non-specialists follow the history, and children can use family trails and hands-on activities, especially during school holidays. A guided tour in English runs on selected days, and an audio guide may be available. A full visit takes about two hours, and many travellers pair it with the Israel Museum for a day of culture in Givat Ram. Weekday mornings and Tuesday evenings, when the museum stays open until late, are the best times to avoid groups. Saturdays bring more families, and Friday closes early. A cafe operates on site. Photography without flash is generally allowed in permanent galleries. The museum can be reached on buses 9, 17 and 24 or by a short taxi ride from Jaffa Road, and tickets are reasonably priced compared with larger Jerusalem institutions.