Tower of David Museum
January 1st 2015
An iconic structure and a must-visit Jerusalem attraction, the Tower of David Museum is located just inside the Jaffa Gate entrance to Jerusalem’s Old City. The museum aims to help its visitors better understand the 4,000 year-long history of Jerusalem and the significance of the Holy City to the world’s three major monotheistic religions. Located within a restored citadel, a fortress originally designed to protect Jerusalem and destined to dominate its skyline, the Tower of David Museum is unto itself a distinctive archeological site from which visitors can take in a 360-degree, dazzling view of Jerusalem.
The Tower of David Museum’s permanent exhibits contain artifacts from the Canaanite period in the 2nd century BCE through 1948, when Jerusalem became the capital of the modern State of Israel. In all, Jerusalem was captured and recaptured 44 times. Each area of the museum explores a particular time period when Jerusalem was besieged and ruled by a succession of conquering nations.
In addition to its regular exhibits that relay the history of Jerusalem in Hebrew, Arabic and English, the museum regularly sponsors special exhibitions, art installations, musical performances and other cultural activities.
A highlight here is the Night Spectacular sound and light show, which uses sophisticated technology to project the history of Jerusalem on the courtyard walls of the citadel. Sit in the museum’s main outdoor space and watch as one era of Jerusalem comes into being and gradually fades away, as yet another conqueror seizes control of the world’s holiest city.
Guided tours of the museum are available in English every weekday morning. For those who prefer to explore on their own, an audio guide is available to explain the significance of what you’ll see at 35 different stations throughout the museum. The Tower of David Museum website offers visitors the option to download the audio guide in advance, so you can access it on your own smartphone or mp3 player.
Although the museum is located in a citadel with many steps, a large portion of the museum exhibits are accessible to visitors in wheelchairs or who otherwise have mobility issues. Catalogs of the museum’s permanent and temporary exhibitions and other museum-related merchandise is available in the shop. There is a cafeteria and free WiFi on the premises.
