Shrine of the Book

You might recognize the unique building behind us.  It was built to house the Dead Sea Scrolls, and is called the Shrine of the Book.  The dome is meant to resemble the top of the clay jars that contained these scrolls, written over a thousand years ago.  They include some of the oldest existing versions of scripture in the world.  In the center of the dome is a reproduction of the 23 foot long Isaiah scroll.  Our guide Micha waved that off as not worthy of viewing because it was just a fascimile.  His real interest was in the Aleppo Codex displayed at the base of a spiral staircase, directly below the fake scroll.   It is the oldest complete Bible in Hebrew, dating from the 10th Century.  He can read it easily, as the Hebrew has not changed at all over the centuries.