Mount Scopus Theatre, Ancient amphitheatre on Mount Scopus, Jerusalem, Israel

Mount Scopus Theatre is an open-air amphitheatre built into the mountainside in Jerusalem with stone seating arranged in semicircular rows. The natural slope and curved design allow sound to travel effectively throughout the space.

On 1 April 1925 the Hebrew University's opening ceremony was held on Mount Scopus, for which architect Fritz Kornberg designed a temporary wooden amphitheatre with a wooden ceremonial platform on the campus's eastern side, facing the Judean Desert. About a decade later Benjamin Chaikin planned the permanent theatre on the same spot. Damaged in the 1948 war and during the years the campus was an enclave in Jordanian territory, it was repaired after 1967 with a donation from the Rothberg couple of Illinois, and renamed Rothberg Theatre.

The theatre serves as a gathering place where students, faculty, and visitors come together for performances, lectures, and community events throughout the year. It embodies the role of the mountain as a center for intellectual and cultural life.

The theatre is located on an elevated site and is best reached by public transport or organized tours from the visitor center. Bring comfortable walking shoes and water, especially on warm days, as the open-air setting offers limited shade.

The stage's five Roman-style gates frame views of the Judaean Desert and the mountains of Edom, so the landscape is part of the theatre. Above the gates are the Hebrew University's name in Hebrew and English and its emblem. Halls and storerooms were built beside and beneath the stage.