Tower of David Museum in Jerusalem to reopen June 1 after much anticipation

The Tower of David Museum in Jerusalem will reportedly reopen to visitors on Thursday, June 1, following years of intensive planning and construction to give the iconic museum a significant facelift.

Museum Director and chief curator Eilat Lieber said the Tower of David Museum will offer an improved and more exciting presentation of Jerusalem’s fascinating 4,000-year-old story – past, present and future.

"The new museum tells the secrets of this city – how Jerusalem, a small city in the hills of Judea, became such an important city for so many people from all over the world,” Lieber explained.

The top portion of the Tower of David, known as Jerusalem's Citadel, which marks the western Jaffa Gate into the Old City, was completely removed and rebuilt in recent months following fears it could collapse. The citadel, a significant historical and archaeological fortress, has been a symbol of Jerusalem for generations and constitutes an integral part of the holy city’s complex and rich narrative involving the Jewish Hasmonean Kingdom, as well as the eras of Roman, Byzantine and early Islamic Empires.

"We are located in a high topography, on a high spot so every ruler- every king who wanted to control the city, controlled the citadel itself,” explained Noam Silverberg, an archaeologist for the Israel Antiquities Authority.

Yoav Cohen, the museum’s artistic director, told Israeli media that the upgraded museum uses modern technology to enhance the story of ancient Jerusalem.

"At the museum, we created a lot of new content, video mapping, immersive experiences, games for children, computer games,” said Cohen. “We have a wide variety of films, interactive games,” he added.

Earlier this year, the international TIME publication ranked Jerusalem as one of the 50 “World’s Greatest Places” to visit in 2023.