Rockefeller Museum

East Jerusalem


The Rockefeller Museum doesn't ride high on must-see lists for Jerusalem, but it's calm, uncrowded and only a short walk from Herod's Gate. The atmosphere is as enjoyable as the contents; make for the Cloisters, where Roman-era antiquities are arranged around a gushing water feature. Other highlights include 9th-century mosaics, Roman ossuary vessels and Byzantine-era blocks featuring early Christian inscriptions.

The distinctive castle-like building was designed by British architect Austen St Barbe Harrison and owes its existence to a gift of US$2 million from the Rockefeller family in 1927.

Transportation

  • bus: 1, 3 & 51
  • tram: Damascus Gate

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby East Jerusalem attractions

1. Herod’s Gate

0.16 MILES

Rather plain (and much less crowded) than the other Old City gates, Herod's Gate stands just 100m east of the point at which the Crusaders breached the…

2. St Anne’s Church

0.23 MILES

The finest example of Crusader architecture in Jerusalem, St Anne's was completed in 1138 on a site thought to have been the home of Joachim and Anne,…

3. Lions' Gate

0.25 MILES

This easterly gate of Jerusalem's Old City points towards the Mount of Olives and Gethsemane. Although originally called Bab Al Ghor (Jordan Valley Gate),…

4. Via Dolorosa

0.28 MILES

The road leading from Lions' Gate into the heart of the Old City is known as Via Dolorosa or the Stations of the Cross. It’s the route that many…

5. 1st Station, Via Dolorosa

0.29 MILES

The 1st Station, where Pontius Pilate is said to have condemned Jesus, is inside the working Islamic Al Omariyeh school near Lions' (St Stephen's) Gate…

6. Terra Sancta Museum

0.3 MILES

Yet another high-quality archaeology museum in the city, this one run by the Franciscans and showcasing their New Testament–period collection of artefacts…

7. 2nd Station, Via Dolorosa

0.3 MILES

The 2nd Station is in the Franciscan Church of the Condemnation, to the left after you enter the church compound. This is where it is believed Jesus…

8. Zedekiah's Cave

0.33 MILES

A good chunk of the limestone used to build the city above came from this 9000-sq-metre underground cavern. Used on and off from the Second Temple period…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "jerusalem/east-jerusalem/attractions/rockefeller-museum/a/poi-sig/1030642/1342524",
      "destination": "East-Jerusalem",
      "continent": "Middle-East",
      "city": "Jerusalem",
      "neighborhood": "East-Jerusalem",
      "position": "superzone"
    }