who discovered the dead sea scrolls

The Dead Sea Scrolls were first discovered by young Bedouin shepherds from the Ta’amireh tribe near Qumran, most famously Muhammad edh-Dhib (often called a “shepherd boy”) in 1946–1947.

Quick Scoop: Who Discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls?

• The scrolls were found in caves near Qumran on the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea.

• Credit for the initial discovery usually goes to Bedouin shepherd Muhammad edh-Dhib and his cousins Jum’a Muhammad and Khalil Musa.

• They reportedly stumbled on the first cave while searching for a lost animal and found jars containing ancient scrolls.

• Scholars and archaeologists later explored more caves and recovered thousands of fragments and hundreds of manuscripts between 1946 and 1956.

In short, when people ask “who discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls,” the historically accepted answer is that local Bedouin shepherds—especially Muhammad edh-Dhib—made the first find, and scholars then recognized and excavated the wider discovery.

TL;DR: They were discovered in the late 1940s by Bedouin shepherds near Qumran, with Muhammad edh-Dhib most often named as the key discoverer.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.