Jerusalem (PTI): Albert Einstein's telescope, which he donated to the Hebrew University along with other artifacts, has been found gathering dust in the basement of the varsity's abandoned planetarium building here.

Dr Eshel Ofir of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem came across the invaluable find, which was logged into records,but nobody had bothered to look for it in decades, said Israeli daily 'Yedioth Ahronoth'.

"I knew we were in possession of a telescope, which Einstein donated to the school and I always wondered what happened to it," Ofir, Director of the Belmonte Science Laboratories Centre, told the newspaper.

Ofir said, in quest for the famed scientist's legacy, he searched the old planetarium building of the institution where he found the telescope while "literally sorting through the wreckage."

The Nobel awardee scientist had bequeathed intellectual property rights for all his writings, including those detailing the Theory of Relativity, to the Hebrew University.

The Joseph Meyerhoff Science Centre and the Jerusalem Foundation have come forward to fund for the restoration of the telescope and have hired a master telescope craftsman,Eden Orion,for the task.

"I admire the man and he is still an inspiration to me.This is a man whose curiosity knew no boundaries. This device is an opportunity for our young students to have direct contact with the great man's legacy. It's fantastic," an elated Ofir told the daily.

The telescope was originally given toEinstein by Zvi Gezri,a fellow scientist he met at Princeton University, according to a letter in the Einstein Archives.

Einstein was one of the biggest supporters of the foundation of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and played a key role in its development.