Important type specimen discovered on display at the National Museum of Scotland.

Developed here in Scotland in 2010, this sustainable technology is helping to bring clean drinking water to the developing world

Within the walls of Edinburgh Castle, the National War Museum tells the story of Scotland at war.

Purchase an e-gift voucher, which can be used for tickets to paid exhibitions and events at the National Museum of Scotland, National Museum of Flight and National Museum of Rural Life. Our e-gift vouchers can also be used to buy National Museums Scotland Membership to allow free, unlimited entry to all our museums and exhibitions.

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.

Find out how this revolutionary telescope was invented, and how it found a home at the National Museum of Scotland.

On 3 December 1917, a little after 13:00, a large fireball was seen to cross southern Scotland. A short time later, an explosion was heard and four objects were seen or heard to crash to the ground around the towns of Coupar Angus and Blairgowrie in the Strathmore area of central Scotland.

In 2013, National Museums Scotland acquired one metal sculpture and one work on paper by contemporary Australian artist Danie Mellor.

More than 10 million objects make their home at the National Museum of Scotland. Discover the secrets of our treasures with this unique five-part series.

A unique, full-length mummy shroud, which is over 2,000 years old yet is still in remarkable condition, has been discovered in National Museums Scotland’s collections.

This prized set of pistols belonged to Robert Burns, Scotland's national Bard. Find out why.

Wing your way to one of Scotland's top days out at East Fortune Airfield.

From the early 20th century, the tractor helped to transformed farm life in Scotland. There are several examples on display in the collection at the National Museum of Rural Life, East Kilbride.

This display highlights a small selection from our Scottish History & Archaeology collections, showing how research and collecting at National Museums Scotland is reshaping understandings of Scotland in the past, and reflecting the Scotland of today for future generations of museum visitors.

This exhibition celebrated the 200th anniversary of Pringle of Scotland.

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

Discover the life of the National Bard through the collections of National Museums Scotland.

From Samurai treasures to tiny netsuke, the National Museum of Scotland has the largest Japanese collection in Scotland.

The Board is responsible for setting the National Museums Scotland’s strategic direction and for monitoring progress to achieve this. The management team is fully responsible for the day-to-day operation of the National Museums Scotland and for the implementation of strategy.

Two pieces of tusk in our collection show that some woolly mammoths made their home in Scotland, while another provides early evidence of mammoths in North America.

NMS Enterprises was established in 2002 to facilitate the commercial activities of National Museums Scotland.

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.

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.

Professor Matthew Forster Heddle (1828-1897) was Scotland's most famous mineralogist. At National Museums Scotland, we look after 5,700 specimens from his collection.

National Museums Scotland's mission, vision, aims, priorities, and values along with our strategic plan and national strategy.

National Museums Scotland is collecting history as it happens. Our new film series, Collecting the Present, explores objects we have collected recently that document cultural, political and social change in Scotland.

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

Travel Trade National Museums Scotland

This small display highlighted a selection of the recent acquisitions at National Museums Scotland.

The finely carved oak pulpit from Dun kirk in Angus, dated 1615, has been retrieved by National Museums Scotland prior to the church being sold.

Found in Scotland, these exquisite axeheads were made over 6,000 years ago, high in the Italian Alps.

Our mission is to preserve, interpret and make accessible for all, the past and present of Scotland, other nations and cultures, and the natural world.

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

Textile designer and artist Bernat Klein put Scottish fashion on the map during the 1960s. Discover his colourful mohairs and tweeds, inspired by the landscape around his Scottish Borders studio.

Meet Ching Ching the panda, one of the world’s most endangered species in Survival at National Museum of Scotland.

During the 2019-20 school year, National Museums Scotland worked with Ostrero to raise awareness of the Circular Economy.

Discover a rare and beautiful object made by one of Scotland’s most significant female artists.

This contemporary piece by sculptor Michael Eden celebrates the architectural styles of the National Museum of Scotland.

Discover how this traditional Scottish instrument was commissioned for the Performance and Lives gallery in the National Museum of Scotland.

Scotland Creates volunteer Bethany Lane introduces this distinctive Harris Tweed suit created by iconic fashion designer Vivienne Westwood.

Discover how the skull of a 40ft whale, which captured the heart of the nation, has become a permanent feature at the National Museum of Scotland.

Discover how an extra-terrestrial exhibit was made ready for display in the National Museum of Scotland.

We trace the story of the Australian mammals in the Natural World galleries at the National Museum of Scotland and meet the rare numbat.

In 2014 Scotland welcomed the Commonwealth Games to Glasgow. Objects from our collection give an insight into the history of the games.

This very important fossil, affectionately known as ‘Lizzie', was discovered in Scotland in the 1980s and could be the earliest known reptile.

The Hilton of Cadboll stone was carved around AD 800 in northern Scotland, then a heartland of the Picts.

Exploring the people and places of Scotland’s offshore energy industry through the work of visual artist Sue Jane Taylor.