The Dead Sea Scrolls
Khalil Iskandar Shahin, Shibly's and Khalil’s grandfather, was literate and worked as a local cobbler. He was a leader in his community and well- respected in both faith and business. He and his wife had 6 sons and 2 daughters. As a side interest, he developed a fascination with Biblical archaeology. Leather and olive wood workers by trade, the Kando family had made a good life for themselves. Then, in 1947, they became part of Biblical history.
Two shepherds arrived at the family's leather workshop carrying thick, dried strips of leather from a cave near the Dead Sea, hoping to have sandals made from them; Khalil quickly realized he held something profoundly important. This was no ordinary leather. Ancient writing with Biblical references was written not in Hebrew, but in Aramaic, his own mother tongue. He was holding the first of the uncovered Dead Sea Scrolls, one of the most important archaeological discoveries in history.
Recognizing their importance to both archaeology and the faith, the Kando family protected the Dead Sea Scrolls from damage and destruction as Bedouins continued to bring them from Qumran between 1947 and 1967.
