The museum was founded in 1925 and has moved a number of times. Having moved to its present building in1980, the museum houses artifacts dating back to the chalcolitic period, involving objects belonging to a total of twelve periods including the Bronze Age, the Hittite, The Urartian, the Phyrigian, the Scythian, the Hellenistic, the Roman, the Byzantine, the Seljuk and the Ottoman periods. In the garden, to the west of the building, are stoneworks belonging to the Hittite, the Hellenistic, the Roman, the Byzantine, the Ilkhanate, the Seljuk and the Ottoman periods. The mummies on display in the tomb belonging to Sultan Mesud I, date back to the 14 cc and belong to the Ilkhanate period. The mummies which are believed to belong to important personalities of the Ilkhanate constitute one of the most important attractions of the museum. Amateur photography and filming is allowed within the museum.