The museum was established in 1922 in the historical Kaleici quarter, then moved to Yivli Mosque in 1937 before settling in its present building in the Konyaalti district in 1972.
Shedding light on many periods -- from the vital period that started with the fossil age to the Ottoman Empire -- the museum contains 13 display halls, a children's section and open galleries.
It exhibits treasures from the Ottoman and Seljuk periods, marble sarcophagi reflecting the archeology of the region, statues representing gods, emperors, empresses and mythological heroes belonging to the Roman period, as well as jewelry, glass, bronze and ceramic artifacts, and prehistoric items from the Karain Cave.