Second Temple Model of Jerusalem

It may be a miniature, but it certainly isn’t small. One of the most impressive objects on display at the Israel Museum is the 2,000-square-meter (21,520-square-foot) model of Jerusalem in the Second Temple period. The model was built to a 1:50 scale using many of the construction materials of the time, including steel, Jerusalem stone and marble. Echoing historic times, the model’s focal point is the glorious reproduction of the Temple itself, which gives a real sense of the amazing feat achieved by King Herod and his builders. For 40 years the model stood on the grounds of the Holyland Hotel in the Bayit Vagan neighborhood, the brain-child of the hotel’s then-proprietor Hans Kroch, now deceased. It was designed by Prof. Avi Yonah, an Israeli geographer and historian, who based his work on the writings of Josephus and other sources. More recently, the model was renovated and corrected for archaeological inaccuracies.In 2006, it was transferred in its entirety to the Museum, and today it stands near the Shrine of the Book, a glory to behold.