Rockefeller Museum

East Jerusalem

LoginSave

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

  • Jerusalem, Israel

    City of David

    0.71 MILES

    As teeming with controversy as it is with ancient history, the City of David is one of Jerusalem's most active archaeological sites. The oldest part of…

  • Israel, Jerusalem, Old Town, The Tower of David also known as the Jerusalem Citadel

    Tower of David

    0.71 MILES

    First things first: despite being referred to as the 'Tower of David', the citadel dominating views as you enter Jaffa Gate started life as a palace of…

  • Jerusalem, Israel - July 26, 2015: Panorama of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre - church in Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected.

    Church of the Holy Sepulchre

    0.55 MILES

    Four magnificent arches, their lintels richly decorated with Crusader crosses, herald the entrance to one of Christianity's most sacred sites. The church…

  • JERUSALEM, ISRAEL JUNE 10 2015: Israeli Temple Mount policeman greets the locals under the arches near the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount on June 10 2015 in the Old City of Jerusalem Israel.; Shutterstock ID 408810679; Your name (First / Last): Lauren Keith; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Middle East Online Highlights Update

    Temple Mount/Al Haram Ash Sharif

    0.49 MILES

    There are few patches of ground as holy – or as disputed – as this one. Known to Muslims as Al Haram Ash Sharif (The Noble Sanctuary) and to Jews as Har…

  • People prays and walk in front of the western wall, wailing wall or kotel.

    Western Wall

    0.52 MILES

    The air is electric at Judaism's holiest prayer site, where worshippers recite scriptures, lay their hands on 2000-year-old stone and utter impassioned…

  • 500px Photo ID: 69901347 - Memorial site at Yad Vashem.

    Yad Vashem

    3.66 MILES

    Israel's official memorial to the six million Jews who died at the hands of the Nazis is powerful, poignant and a masterpiece of design. The museum's name…

  • Israel Museum

    Israel Museum

    2.02 MILES

    More than 5000 years of cultural treasures are assembled around the vast Israel Museum's indoor and outdoor galleries. Highlights are the titanic statues…

  • Israel, Jerusalem. The Dome of the Rock. Unesco.

    Dome of the Rock

    0.42 MILES

    The jewel in the crown of Temple Mount/Al Haram Ash Sharif is the gold-plated Dome of the Rock, the enduring symbol of the city and one of the most…

View more 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"
}