[3][4] After the formation of the Republic in 1924, Alyanakzade Halil Kamil Bey from Adana was appointed as museum director and the collection was moved in 1928 to the medrese section of the defunct Cafer Pasha Mosque and then opened to the public.

Items from the early ages of Cilicia which was discovered during the excavations carried out at Tarsus/Gözlükule (1934), Mersin/Yumuktepe (1936), Ceyhan/Sirkeli (1938) and Yüreğir/Misis (1958) in particular, were collected at the museum which eventually became filled to the brim with the ethnographic items collected by museum director Ali Rıza Yalman (Yalkın) between 1933 and 1940.

This was also the only regional museum housing items either through bought or obtained through court orders from an area covering Kahramanmaraş to Gaziantep.

The museum had moved to the west bank of Seyhan River at the intersection of E5 state road and Fuzuli street on January 7, 1972.

Roman exhibits include sarcophagi with rich garland decorations, jugs, catapult shots, inscriptions, altars and various architectural elements, glassware, ceramics and jewellery.