Jerusalem
Astounding photographs and tales from her work preserving the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1960s Jordan and Palestine
The Palestine Archaeological Museum, 1961, featuring its iconic hexagonal tower. Photo taken by Valerie Fenwick
At just 25, Valerie was sent to Jerusalem to preserve and mount the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The Dead Sea Scrolls are a set of ancient Jewish manuscripts from the Second Temple period, dating from the 3rd Century BCE to the 1st Century BE. The artifacts were discovered over a period of ten years, between 1946 and 1956, at the Qumran Caves near Ein Feshkha in the West Bank, on the northern shore of the Dead Sea, and in neighbouring areas.
In 1961, when Valerie Fenwick made her trip to assist in the preservation of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the West Bank was governed by Jordan. Her work took place in the Palestine Archaeological Museum, where the scrolls were housed until 1967. During the deadly Six-Day War, an Israeli paratroop brigade captured the museum, even using its iconic hexagonal tower as a lookout. Once occupied, the Palestine Archaeological Museum was renamed as the Rockefeller, and the Dead Sea Scrolls were transferred to the Israel Museum in West Jerusalem.
Ever since their capture, Israel has claimed ownership of the Dead Sea Scrolls. This ownership is contested by both Palestine and Jordan.
The scrolls shed light into the ancient community at Qumran, as well as revealing the wider spectrum of ancient Jewish belief and practice, and their discovery is among the more important finds in the history of modern archaeology.
The preservation of the Dead Sea Scrolls, inside the Palestine Archaeology Museum, in 1961. Photograph taken by Valerie Fenwick.
Photographs from Valerie’s trip to Jerusalem in 1961, from her personal archive
See all photos, with Valerie’s captions here.
MSF medical staff treat wounded patients at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza © MSF
In Valerie’s memory, we are raising funds for Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders), a charity she long supported. Medecins Sans Frontieres are currently doing life-saving work in the lands Valerie felt fortunate to visit in the 1960s.
Donate to Valerie Fenwick’s memorial fundraiser here.
Were you part of this project? Do you have any further information? Let us know using the form below or by emailing valeriesarchive@proton.me.