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

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.

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 has been a landmark year at National Museums Scotland.

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.

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

Contact the relevant team at the National Museums Scotland using the information below. We look forward to hearing from you!

Investigate the Pacific material in Perth.

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.

The Galloway Hoard has now finished at the National Museum of Scotland but it will be on display at the Kirkcudbright Galleries from 9 October 2021 to 10 July 2022 and on to Aberdeen Museum and Art Gallery from 30 July to 23 October 2022.

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.

Plan the perfect trip to the National Museum of Rural Life

Plan the perfect trip to the National Museum of Flight

Preparing for the Art of Glass exhibition at National Museum of Scotland.

Volunteers help in many of our departments and play an important role, increasing our visitors' enjoyment and understanding of our collections

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

As part of the celebrations for the opening of ten new galleries at the National Museum of Scotland, the Young Demonstrators worked with artist Henry Cruickshank to create a comic strip starring our very own super sheep, Dolly.

Associate with excellence and gain real business benefits through a partnership with National Museums Scotland.

This collaborative research partnership with the National Army Museum reappraises motivations for military collecting. It investigates cultures of collecting by members of the British armed forces while on campaign and garrison duty in Africa and India during the late 18th and 19th centuries.

Discover our new trail on a walk to the farm.

A spotlight tour from National Museums Scotland and the British Museum.

Collections in Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders

HomeWorks is a project inspired by art and design collections at the National Museum of Scotland. Led by artists Katie and Sophie Orton and Ali Glanville-Jones, the workshops aim to inspire creativity, connect people to our new Art, Design and Fashion galleries, and encourage an understanding of design processes.

Join as a Patron today and help us care for the remarkable objects in our collections and share their stories with the world.

Curator Fiona Ware and Dr Dan Harries from Heriot-Watt’s Institute of Life & Earth Sciences introduce some of Scotland’s finest marine habitats and discuss the importance of the museum’s specimen collections to monitoring changes in our seas.

Find out why we value work experience and what opportunities are available.

National Museums Scotland offers a collection of spectacular venues to suit every occasion. For intimate dinners for 12 guests to grand celebrations for 1,500, each unique and versatile setting ensures and an unforgettable event.

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

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.

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

The Board of Trustees is National Museums Scotland’s governing body, responsible for setting the National Museums Scotland’s vision, strategy and policy and for monitoring progress to achieve these.

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

The Hospitality and Events team have over 40 years' combined experience delivering spectacular events across National Museums Scotland’s unique and versatile sites.

Discover the story of Scottish pop music at the National Museum of Scotland as we take you on a musical journey from the 1950s to the present day.

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

The wide availability of cotton textiles from the eighteenth century onwards transformed popular dress. The demand for printed cottons also had a significant impact on the growth of the Scottish textile industry in general, and the Turkey red manufacturers in particular.

As a work placement student you will share our passionate belief in National Museums Scotland's mission to preserve, interpret and make accessible for all the past and present of Scotland, of other nations and cultures, and of the natural world.

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?

This section contains information about the way in which National Museums Scotland is run: our vision, mission and values; our Executive Team and Trustees; and our commitment to providing the best possible service.

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.

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

The first important professional woman artist of modern Scotland, Phoebe Anna Traquair was a leading figure within the Scottish Arts and Crafts movement.

Use these seven yoga based poses to move, stretch and get energised, inspired by our collections. You can do each one on its own or all seven together in a 'yoga flow'.

Explore the museum collections and historic airfield with our family trails.

National Museums Scotland is establishing an international network of scholars to explore the role of silver in the emergence of the early medieval kingdoms of Europe. This network has been made possible thanks to an award from the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council.

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

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.