<P> The initial discovery , by Bedouin shepherd Muhammed edh - Dhib , his cousin Jum'a Muhammed , and Khalil Musa , took place between November 1946 and February 1947 . The shepherds discovered seven scrolls ( See Scrolls and fragments ) housed in jars in a cave near what is now known as the Qumran site . John C. Trever reconstructed the story of the scrolls from several interviews with the Bedouin . Edh - Dhib 's cousin noticed the caves , but edh - Dhib himself was the first to actually fall into one ( the cave now called Cave 1 ) . He retrieved a handful of scrolls , which Trever identifies as the Isaiah Scroll , Habakkuk Commentary , and the Community Rule , and took them back to the camp to show to his family . None of the scrolls were destroyed in this process , despite popular rumor . The Bedouin kept the scrolls hanging on a tent pole while they figured out what to do with them , periodically taking them out to show to their people . At some point during this time , the Community Rule was split in two . The Bedouin first took the scrolls to a dealer named Ibrahim ' Ijha in Bethlehem . ' Ijha returned them , saying they were worthless , after being warned that they might have been stolen from a synagogue . Undaunted , the Bedouin went to a nearby market , where a Syrian Christian offered to buy them . A sheikh joined their conversation and suggested they take the scrolls to Khalil Eskander Shahin , `` Kando '' , a cobbler and part - time antiques dealer . The Bedouin and the dealers returned to the site , leaving one scroll with Kando and selling three others to a dealer for 7 Jordanian pounds ( approximately $28 , or $307 in 2017 dollars ) . The original scrolls continued to change hands after the Bedouin left them in the possession of a third party until a sale could be arranged . ( See Ownership . ) </P>
<P> The initial discovery , by Bedouin shepherd Muhammed edh - Dhib , his cousin Jum'a Muhammed , and Khalil Musa , took place between November 1946 and February 1947 . The shepherds discovered seven scrolls ( See Scrolls and fragments ) housed in jars in a cave near what is now known as the Qumran site . John C. Trever reconstructed the story of the scrolls from several interviews with the Bedouin . Edh - Dhib 's cousin noticed the caves , but edh - Dhib himself was the first to actually fall into one ( the cave now called Cave 1 ) . He retrieved a handful of scrolls , which Trever identifies as the Isaiah Scroll , Habakkuk Commentary , and the Community Rule , and took them back to the camp to show to his family . None of the scrolls were destroyed in this process , despite popular rumor . The Bedouin kept the scrolls hanging on a tent pole while they figured out what to do with them , periodically taking them out to show to their people . At some point during this time , the Community Rule was split in two . The Bedouin first took the scrolls to a dealer named Ibrahim ' Ijha in Bethlehem . ' Ijha returned them , saying they were worthless , after being warned that they might have been stolen from a synagogue . Undaunted , the Bedouin went to a nearby market , where a Syrian Christian offered to buy them . A sheikh joined their conversation and suggested they take the scrolls to Khalil Eskander Shahin , `` Kando '' , a cobbler and part - time antiques dealer . The Bedouin and the dealers returned to the site , leaving one scroll with Kando and selling three others to a dealer for 7 Jordanian pounds ( approximately $28 , or $307 in 2017 dollars ) . The original scrolls continued to change hands after the Bedouin left them in the possession of a third party until a sale could be arranged . ( See Ownership . ) </P>
who found the dead sea scrolls in 1947
who found the dead sea scrolls in 1947
Muhammed edh - Dhib Jum'a Muhammed Khalil Musa
Muhammed edh - Dhib Jum'a Muhammed Khalil Musa