Kompleks se sastoji od tri odvojena objekta: Arheološki muzej-glavna zgrada, muzej starog orijenta i muzeja islamske umjetnosti. Kolekcije muzeja obuhvataju oko 15.000 arheoloških ostataka iz Mezopotamije: Asirskog carstva, sumera koji se proteže između modernog grada Bagdada i Perzijskog zaljeva, grada Akada sa sjevera mezopotamije, drevnog grada Babilona, starog Egipta u vremenu faraona, grčke, arapske i islamske kulture. Arheološki muzej-glavna zgrada izgrađena je u vanjskom vrtu Topkapi palate. Osnivač muzeja je slikar i arheolog Osman Hamdi Bey. Izgradnju je započeo 1881. godine u neoklasičnom stilu, po projektu Alexandera Vallauria. Na stogodišnjicu muzej je dodatno proširen i reorganizovan. Zgrada muzeja starog orijenta izgrađena je 1883. godine. Nakon reorganizacije 1935. godine pretvorena je u muzej. Keramički paviljon je jedna od najstarijih zgrada iz osmanskog perioda. Izgrađena je 1472. godine po nalogu Sultana Fatiha Mehmeta II. U periodu od 1875. do 1891. godine korištena je kao carski muzej. Od 1953. godine pretvorena je u muzej turske i islamske umjetnosti i integrisana u arheološki muzej. Najvažniji eksponat je mihrab iz Ibrahim-begove džamije u Karamanu.
The complex contains three separate objects: Archaeology Museum – main building, Museum of the Ancient Orient and Museum of Islamic Art. The museum collections contain around 15 000 archeological remains from: Mesopotamia: Assyrian Empire, Sumer (which stretches from the modern city of Baghdad to the Persian Gulf), the city of Akkad (in north Mesopotamia), the ancient city of Babylon; ancient Egypt (from the period of the pharaohs), ancient Greece, Arabian and Islamic culture. Archaeology Museum – the main building was built in the external garden of Topkapi Palace. The founder of the museum was painter and archaeologist Osman Hamdi Bey. The construction started in 1881 in the neoclassical style, based on the project by Alexander Vallaury. At its 100th anniversary, the museum was additionally expanded and reorganized. The building of the Museum of the Ancient Orient was built in 1883. After its reorganization in 1935, it was turned into a museum. The Ceramic Arts Pavilion is one of the oldest buildings from the Ottoman period. It was commissioned by Sultan Mehmed II Fatih and built in 1472. In the period between 1875 and 1891, it was used as a royal museum. In 1953, it was turned into the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art and integrated into the Archaeology Museum. Its most important exhibit is the mihrab from Ibrahim – Bey’s Mosque in Karaman.
