The Erzurum Museum commenced operations in 1942 within the Double Minaret Madrasa, subsequently relocating to a new facility in 1967. In 1994, the Yakutiye Madrasah was transformed into the Museum of Ethnography and Turkish-Islamic Art, while the previous museum became an archaeological museum. The museum building was designed with two storeys and ashlar masonry, reflecting the architecture of the region. The lower floor of the building houses exhibition halls, offices, toilets, and the upper floor contains director and officer rooms, a library section, and artifact storage. The museum comprises the Excavations Hall, Roman, Hellenistic Period, and Trans-Caucasian Culture Hall, Urartu Hall, and Natural History Hall. The Excavations Hall displays artefacts unearthed in the region during various excavations. Among these, the finds from Karaz (1942-1944), Pulur (1960), Güzelova (1961), Sos (1994-1998) and Tumulus excavations are particularly noteworthy. The hall also displays a range of small sculptures, sacred hearths, arrowheads, potteries and stone artefacts from the 4th millennium BC to the Seljuk period. In the Roman, Hellenistic Period and Trans-Caucasian Hall, artefacts from the İkiztepe tumulus and gold artefacts such as diadems, rings and earrings, glass tear bottles, terracotta, sarcophagi and other artefacts obtained by purchase or confiscation for the museum are exhibited. The Urartian Artefacts and Coin Hall contains artefacts belonging to the Urartians, who survived between 900-600 BC and whose capital was Van. The Urartians ruled as a powerful kingdom in a wide region covering Urmia, Gökçegöl and Çıldır Lakes and extending westwards to Erzincan and Malatya. It is thought that their roots go back to the Hurrians. In addition to the rock architectures, dams and irrigation facilities belonging to the Urartians, the terracotta and metal pots, ornaments, seals, weaponry, oath plates and ritons exhibited in the museum demonstrate the advanced civilisation of the Urartian. There are also coins from the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods exhibited in this hall. The Natural History Hall displays a range of exhibits, including mammoth fossils, mollusc fossils, plant fossils and obsidian.