The building takes its name from Major Robert Grenville Gayer-Anderson Pasha, who resided in the house between 1935 and 1942 with special permission from the Egyptian Government.

The museum is noted for being one of examples of 17th-century domestic architecture left in Cairo, and also for its collection of furniture, carpets, curio, and other objects.

In 1919, he retired from the army to become the Senior Inspector in the Egyptian Ministry of the Interior, and he later became the Oriental Secretary to the British Residency in Cairo.

It dates back to the Mamluk Period (1040 AH/1631 AD) and it was built by Hagg Mohamed Salem Galmam el- Gazzar.

[2] The museum consists of two houses built using the outer wall of the Mosque of Ibn Tulun as support.

"[3] The second house, to the west (the innermost side in relation to the mosque) was built in 1540 AD (947 AH) by Abdel-Qader al-Haddad.

In 1928 the Egyptian government began to clear the homes, many of which were in very poor condition, away from the mosque as part of a plan to make important Islamic monuments more accessible.

The Committee for the Conservation of Arab Monuments objected to the demolition of Bayt al-Kritliyya, however, on the grounds that the home was well preserved.

[citation needed] In 1935, Major Gayer-Anderson, a retired collector and self-described Orientalist, was granted permission to reside in the house, which had just been restored.

Gayer-Anderson oversaw the installation of electricity and plumbing,[3] and the restoration of fountains, pavements, and other parts of the interior of the home.

In 1942, Gayer-Anderson was forced by ill health to leave Egypt, and he gave the contents of the house to the Egyptian government.

[citation needed] The James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me was partially shot in the museum,[4] in the ceremonial reception hall and the rooftop terrace.

This is considered to be quite rare since the only other examples of Christian mashrabias are found in the Coptic Museum, as well as in some ancient houses in Old Cairo.

[15] The objects present in this room are from the later Persian or Shah Abbas period, except for the bed, which originates from Egypt, and a replica of an Egyptian couch with bulls feet.

A piece of furniture worth noting would be the throne chair, which dates back to one of the earlier Khedives, maybe Ismail Pasha.

[19] This late seventeenth century room was built by the Committee for the Preservation of Arab Monuments in 1937 and was brought from Damascus by Gayer- Anderson Pasha.

[citation needed] The Gayer-Anderson Museum is located adjacent to the Mosque of Ibn Tulun off of 'Abd al-Magid al-Labban (Al-Salbiyya) Street in Sayyida Zeinab, Cairo.