An Essene community of scribes was believed to have lived in Qumran which is now a National Park. First we saw a movie that described what life may have been like in Qumran. There is even some speculation that the gospel writer, Luke, was part of this sect before becoming a Christian. At one time it was believed that only men lived in Essene communities, but archaeologists found small hair combs in the ruins thus leading them to believe that this commune may have had female residents.
Some clay jars are on display. The Dead Sea scrolls were discovered here in Qumron in jars like these. We will see a replica of the scroll of Isaiah in the Israel Museum a little later in the tour.
The story is told that a shepherd was looking for a lost goat when he happened upon a cave. The story is told on a plaque here in the National Park.There is an aqueduct meandering through. 
This aqueduct originally ran from the Qumran River to this community.
The Essenes were known for holding a strong view of spiritual purity. They had many areas for ceremonial washing. To bathe, a person would enter one side of the bath and exit from the other.
A kiln. (Handy for making all those clay jars)
I cannot imagine the difficulty of finding all of these caves – let alone reaching some of them that are situated on the side of a cliff!
We left Qumran after having lunch at a popular Qumran lunch stop. LOTS of tourists plan their tours to include lunch here. They have a cafeteria set-up, but we were blessed that our tour guide arranged for our group to have tables and to be served.
From here we will travel to the Jordan River – see you there soon!