Qumran, Archaeological site in al-Ubeidiya, Palestine

Qumran is an excavated ancient settlement on the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea in al-Ubeidiya, Palestine. The ruins include communal buildings, water systems, ritual baths, and a cemetery with over one thousand graves spread across the dry terrain.

A small fortress stood here from the 8th century BCE, long abandoned before a community reoccupied it around 135 BCE, adding two rectangular cisterns, a channel network and two pottery kilns. Around 100 BCE the complex was enlarged with a square tower and large storerooms. An earthquake damaged it in 31 BCE; it was reoccupied from 4 BCE and destroyed by the Romans in 68 CE.

Scrolls found in eleven surrounding caves represent some of the oldest known biblical manuscripts in existence. Visitors today see replicas of these texts and can spot the caves above the settlement where the original scrolls remained hidden for centuries.

The park offers marked paths through the excavations and educational panels explaining the layout of the settlement. Entry requires a fee, and because of the heat, early morning or late afternoon visits are recommended with plenty of water.

Archaeologists found multiple inkwells and writing implements in a dedicated room, suggesting manuscript production took place here. This workshop shows how residents copied and preserved texts before hiding them in the caves.