The aims of the Israel Defense Forces Museum are to exhibit the history of Israel’s wars since the 1948 War of Independence, and to serve as a memorial to the soldiers who died in battle. The Museum building stands at the foot of a mountainous ridge overlooking Jerusalem, nestled between two crests. A lengthwise visitors’ path links the separate exhibition spaces devoted to the various wars. The topographical continuity is cut by an artificial canyon, with the Visitors’ Center on one side of it, and the exhibition halls, linked by a bridge spanning the canyon, on the other side. At the end of the canyon is an amphitheater. The structure burrows into the mountainside, to merge into the landscape. The trench between the Museum and the mountain slope is designed as a memorial pass. A youth hostel and a school are attached to the museum.