Edinburgh has been the capital of Scotland since the 15th century. With a population of around 525,000, it is the second largest city in Scotland after Glasgow.

The city is a cultural centre, and is the home of institutions including the National Museum of Scotland, the National Library of Scotland and the Scottish National Gallery. Edinburgh's Old Town and New Town together are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The National Museum of Scotland was formed in 2006 with the merger of the new Museum of Scotland, with collections relating to Scottish antiquities, culture and history, and the adjacent Royal Scottish Museum.

Both parts of the museum are located right next to each other on Chambers Street. The Royal Museum is a museum of natural sciences, technology and art. It is housed in a building dating from 1888. The Museum of Scotland deals with Scottish history and culture. It is located in a new building completed in 1998 right next to the 1888 building.

Monymusk Reliquary

The Monymusk Reliquary is an eighth century house-shape reliquary made of wood and metal. It was presumably created by the Celtic Church monks of Iona Abbey.

The reliquary is characterised by a mixture of Pictishdesigns and Irish artistic traditions , fused with Anglo-Saxon metalworking techniques. The casket is wooden, but is covered with silver and copper-alloy. The silver plates on the front and lid of the casket are decorated with beasts leaping and twisting, and biting at their tails on a spotted field, characteristic of animal style in Celtic art. The stippled punch marks are characteristically Irish in style.