Hurry! The Dead Sea Scrolls are on Display in D.C. for a Couple More Months!
When I first saw the advertisement for the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit, I about leapt out of my seat.
What!!? They are in town!? I’m completely serious. This was thrilling news to me. The Dead Sea Scrolls– at least a few of them– are on display right here in Washington, D.C. for most of 2026.
The exhibit lasts until September 2026, and back in January that sounded like a long time, but now it is almost over. So if you have any interest in breakthrough archaeology finds, you want to get to downtown D.C. ASAP!
Of course, I know some of you live far away and won’t get to go. Well, never fear. I’m going to give you a sneak peek at what we saw there.
Where to Find the Dead Sea Scrolls in Washington, D.C.
Fittingly, the scrolls are on display at the Museum of the Bible, which is probably the easiest museum in D.C. to visit because it is literally in the same brick building as the Metro stop it is located next to. You can metro down there to the Federal Center SW Metro Stop, exit the metro station, never cross the street, just stay on the sidewalk and head around to exact opposite end of the building.
Or if you are going by car, it is at 400 4th St. SW. You can be dropped off by the front door. It’s a fully handicap accessible building with excellent air conditioning. They do check your bags, but they also allow you to bring in water. (I think.)
The Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit leaves Washington, D.C. on September 7, 2026. That’s the last day you can see them here!
Normally, you have to travel to Jerusalem in Israel or to Jordan to see any of the Dead Sea Scrolls. That’s why this is such a big deal. Which brings me to my next point…
Why are the Dead Sea Scrolls a big deal in the first place?
Before the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the 1940s, any cynic could make a case that the Bible isn’t from ancient times. The oldest scripture copies we had before this discovery were from the eleventh century AD. Now we have all of these copies from the 3rd century BC to the 1st Century AD. There is absolutely nothing new about the Old Testament.
And if you want to see an even older Biblical fragment, check out my article on the Silver Scrolls.
The Dead Sea Scrolls were resting in caves near the Dead Sea for two thousand years before they were discovered by accident by Bedouins in the area.
After the initial 1947 discovery, people began to search the caves near the Dead Sea for more scrolls. The scrolls were found in eleven different caves. You can see the locations of the caves in the infograph below.
The Dead Sea Scrolls contain copies of every book of the Old Testament except for Esther.
Plus, the scrolls also contain other writings from ancient times, to include Bible commentaries, community rules, and the book of Enoch.
The scrolls are in extremely rough shape. They are 2000-2300 years old!! And yet, that dry desert air managed to preserve enough to teach us so much about the Bible and the ancient world.
Modern technology keeps improving too, so even though some of these would turn to dust if you touch them too hard, we are able to use computer imaging to read the scrolls better than we ever could before.
How much of the scrolls will you see at the Museum of the Bible?
Normally, none at all, but if you go by September 7, 2026, you will see eight or nine scrolls. They have been rotating out about twenty-five different scrolls, and they are now on the final rotation. I was lucky enough to get to see two of the three rotations, so the pictures I share here come from the two last groups.
What to expect at the exhibit:
You first enter a holding area, while you wait for the prior group to go through an immersive video about the discovery of the scrolls. In this first room, you will read about the Dead Sea Scrolls. Then they will open the curtain and take you to an area with three large artifacts and a video that tells about them.
After that, it is a self- paced exhibit. When you leave the audio portion, there is a Jesus boat replica and then a large room chock full of relevant artifacts from Bible times. This second room was crowded, moved slow, and disappointed me because I’ve seen many artifacts before. I was desperate to lay my eyes on these scrolls, but you have to turn a full other corner, then go through a Western Wall fragment, before you finally come to the actual Dead Sea Scrolls.
The first time we went, my son had already been all the way to the end and came back to talk to me while I was still in the artifact area. He said something to me, and I spun around and said, “Are there any scrolls here? Did you see any Dead Sea scrolls!!??”
He was like, “Oh, yeah, there’s a bunch of them! Around the corner.”
Phew! I was so relieved.
I tell you that story so you won’t get frustrated like I did. The actual Dead Sea Scroll part is at the end of the exhibit. Do take some time to enjoy the rest. Read the story of how they found the scrolls in the caves. Browse the artifacts, but don’t burn yourself out on reading before you get to the scroll part.
Here are a few of the Dead Sea Scrolls displayed in D.C. this year.
For each Dead Sea Scroll on display, they had the title, brief information, a colorized, easier to read photo, and then the actual Dead Sea Scroll there beside it.
Four copies of Lamentations were found in the caves.
There were more copies of biblical Psalms than any other scrolls in the caves. In these, King David is named as the author.
While you are at the Museum of the Bible, be sure the check out these three other parts of the museum. They are my favorites.
I also love the Old Testament Story, located on the same floor, right next to the New Testament Village.
It is a story that you walk through as a group. It’s really neat. The burning bush is my favorite.
Then the third is my absolute favorite Bible Museum feature, Washington Revelations, which is kind of a ride. You do have to pay $10 extra for it, but it’s worth it. We do it every single time we go. It makes you feel like you are flying through Washington, D.C. and seeing influences of the Bible all over the city. It is comparable to the Soarin’ ride at Disney World.
I hope you get to go check it all out!
Sources:
75th Anniversary Tour Dead Sea Scrolls The Exhibition at the Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC
