Eretz Israel Museum (MUZA)

The Eretz Israel Museum, known as MUZA, stands at 2 Haim Levanon Street in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel, and is built around the excavated mound of Tel Qasile, an ancient Philistine and later Israelite port-town site. The museum is a campus of separate pavilions and open-air areas rather than a single building, covering archaeology, ethnography, ceramics, glass, coins, copper, folklore, Judaica and the history of crafts in the land of Israel. Visitors move between pavilions that hold finds from Tel Qasile and the wider region, collections of ancient glass and pottery, and exhibits on traditional trades. The outdoor grounds hold an ancient olive press, a working flour mill, a restored water installation and reconstructed workshops, and the Tel Qasile excavation area itself can be visited on foot. Temporary exhibitions and a planetarium add variety, and children can join hands-on activities in some areas. A visit generally takes two to three hours, and the layout suits unhurried wandering, with shaded paths between buildings. Opening hours are usually Sunday to Wednesday and Saturday 10:00AM to 4:00PM, Thursday 10:00AM to 8:00PM and Friday 10:00AM to 2:00PM, but these should be verified at eretzmuseum.org.il. Adult admission is about 52 ILS, and visitors under 18 enter free. Weekday mornings are the quietest, while Saturday attracts families. The museum is a twelve-minute walk from Tel Aviv University train station and can be combined with the ANU Museum nearby. The outdoor sections are best visited in the cooler morning hours in summer. Photography is typically allowed, and the open-air installations make good subjects. Cafe facilities are available on site.