In 1947, in a place called Khirbat Qumran near the Dead Sea in Jordan, a shepherd boy, named Jum’a, wondered into a cave. There he discovered the ancient Hebrew manuscripts, now known as the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The scrolls were rolled up in leather and cloth, and stored in pottery jars. They are the oldest known copy of the Bible’s Old Testament, 1,000 years older than any other known Hebrew texts.

© 2005 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)