Qumran

Qumran (pronounced koom-raan) was an isolated Essene community located near the Dead Sea from before the time of Jesus until the Jewish revolt and Roman reoccupation around 70 A.D. The Essenes believed in separating themselves from the general society. It is most famous for the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the earliest copies of books of the Bible ever found. Today Qumran is a national historic park and archaeological site located on the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea.

Qumran is located only about 30 miles north of the Masada fortress, but the car ride takes 2 and a half hours to drive along the perimeter of the Dead Sea.

In 2017, a 12th cave was discovered, proving false a view that only 11 such caves existed, even though the discovered cave no longer had scrolls.