East Fortune Airfield is the UK's best-preserved Second World War airfield. Discover its history from its beginnings in the First World War to its transformation to a national museum.

Your journey of discovery starts here...

This toolkit was created in partnership with museums across Scotland to explore ways to measure and articulate the social impact of engagement with autistic children, their families and young people.

Meet the 12 metre-long, spectacular life-sized skeleton cast of a Tyrannosaurus rex, one of the star attractions at the National Museum of Scotland.

Explore the highlights of the museum and our working farm with this family trail.

Explore the National Museum of Scotland with your class using our themed trails.

Home to over 90,000 species, Scotland’s land, seas and skies support a wide range of native mammals and birds, amphibians, reptiles and over 50,000 different invertebrates. The collection at National Museums Scotland has examples of some of the iconic, at risk and once extinct birds and mammals native to Scotland.

An incredible array of Egyptian objects can be found in museums across Scotland, from tiny amulets to massive stone monuments. National Museums Scotland and museums across the country are studying these artefacts together to improve our understanding of ancient Egyptian culture and Scotland’s contribution to Egyptology.

This fascinating collection of scale models provides an invaluable source of information on life in 19th century India.

A general self-led visit to the National Museum of Scotland is free to book and allows you to explore a wide range of topics.

Oracle bones are parts of animal bone, used in divination ceremonies in ancient China. National Museums Scotland’s collection of oracle bones dates from the late Shang dynasty (c.1200–1050 BC) and was found at Yinxu site near Anyang city, in central China.

Can you complete our Selfie Safari challenge? Find all the animals and take a family portrait with each one!

Join curator Margaret Maitland for a guided virtual tour of our Ancient Egypt Rediscovered gallery.

New to the National Collection showcased the latest additions to our collections, including objects that will feature in ten new galleries in 2016.

The story of Scotland’s early silver and how this precious metal helped to shape the first kingdoms of Scotland.

Over the last 300 years, Scottish scientists and engineers have made discoveries and inventions that have changed our relationship with the world. From simple, everyday processes to cutting edge of 21st-century medicine, Scotland remains at the heart of scientific innovation.

National Museums Scotland has launched a consultation on its draft Gaelic Language Plan.

Learn more ahead of your visit to the National Museum of Scotland.

Explore the romance and reality of 18th and 19th century Scotland in this one-day course.

The BAE Systems Hawk is a British single-engine, jet-powered advanced trainer aircraft. A stunning pair of Hawk wings with the iconic RAF Red Arrows livery are on display in the new Explore gallery at the National Museum of Scotland.

A huge range of different elements are used to make up the components of a mobile phone. But did you know that many of them can be found in minerals you can see on display at the National Museum of Scotland?

Marvel up close at the pages of an illustrated prayer book featuring a handwritten poem by a young Mary, Queen of Scots.

In 2018, the internationally renowned metalsmith Simone ten Hompel was commissioned by National Museums Scotland and The Glenmorangie Company to create a new artwork inspired by our curatorial research and the Museum’s collection of metal artefacts from early medieval Scotland.

Enjoy an afternoon of musical encounters, featuring two musicians from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

A Stirling engine is powered by hot air rather than steam. Now 200 years old, its revolutionary technology has become even more relevant today.

This articulated silver necklace encapsulating a large labradorite disc is one of Dorothy Hogg’s earliest works (1969-70).

Enjoy a range of freshly prepared food and drink in our two cafés at the museum.

This revolutionary pneumatic tyre was donated to the museum by its maker, John Boyd Dunlop, in 1910. But who really invented it?

Discover our new trail on a walk to the farm.

Join us for a more relaxed morning, for those who might appreciate a calmer visit to the museum.

Join the battle against five tropical diseases and the parasites that cause them in this interactive exhibition and discover how scientific research taking place in Scotland is leading the way in this field.

Join artist Kayleigh McCallum and mindfulness practitioner Charlene Duncan for mindful sketching in our galleries.

See an iconic piece of Scotland’s national heritage, the silver casket believed to have been owned by Mary, Queen of Scots.

Discover the story of Scotland's failed venture to colonise part of Panama in the 17th century.

Meet Cybraphon, the moody autonomous robot band in a box created by Edinburgh-based artist collective FOUND.

Book linked to the Hugh Miller Collection in National Museums Scotland wins this prestigious award

Our press office handles UK and international media requests for the four national museums and our collection centre.

During and directly after the Second World War, the Reid family at Wester Kittochside, East Kilbride employed both Italian and German prisoners of war.

Discover the facts about a large ocean sunfish that stranded off Scotland’s coast in 2020 and hear what we can learn from studying this strange fish.

This thought-provoking display charts the history and influence of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition across the world, including its role in Scotland today.

Make the most of your visit with our museum highlights. Your rural adventure starts here!

In 2015, the Edinburgh Iranian Festival and National Museums Scotland celebrated new movements in Iranian dress and design with a magnificent fashion show. On this occasion, the Museum acquired a selection of women’s clothing for its existing textile collection from Iran.

National Museums Scotland’s internationally significant ancient Egyptian and Sudanese collections comprise around 6,300 items. Explore its rich treasures here.