The museum was opened in 1942 in the Cifte Minareli building. One of the main collections of the museum are works acquired or donated by citizens and found as a result of archaeological excavations. Later, in 1967, the Erzurum Museum was asked to move to a new building. In 1994, the museum was opened in the Yakutiye Madrasah. Here the main expositions were ethnographic works and finds of the Turkic-Islamic period. Soon the museum was renamed and divided into the Archaeological Museum and the Museum of Turkish-Islamic works.
As a result of excavations of ancient settlements, the Archaeological Museum became the owner of valuable works and today has a rich collection of exhibits.
The hall of ancient settlements contains works acquired by the museum as a result of excavations in the area. Among them, artefacts discovered during excavations in Karaz (1942-1944), Pulur (1960) and Sosa (1994-1998) occupy a special place. Also on display here are objects and works that relate to the history of human civilisation from the fourth century BC to Seljuk times. They are represented by statuettes, arrowheads, sacred fire sources, stone products, and vessels made of burnt clay.
The next hall is called the Hall of Rome, Hellenic Times and Transcaucasia. In this hall are exhibited works that were acquired by the museum as a result of excavations in Ikiztepe. They belong to Byzantine and Roman times, among them are rings, tiaras, gold objects, earrings, burnt clay objects, glass tear bottles, sarcophagi, as well as an exhibition of objects and works of art from the second millennium BC that depict the level of culture of Eastern Anatolia, Western Van, the people of the coast of Lake Urmiye in the southeast and Georgia in the northeast.
From the Urartu heritage, the museum exhibits: metal utensils, works of burnt clay, decorative objects, aesthetic objects, seals, oath tablets, military equipment and other items.
The Coin Hall displays coins from the Byzantine and Roman times. In the hall of natural history there are inscription plates, epitaphs of Urartu, acquired by the museum. The works of Mamud, who lived five hundred thousand years ago, attract close attention.
The hall of natural history contains plates of inscriptions, epitaphs of Urartu acquired by the museum.
