Construction of the new building commenced after Yugoslav architects Zdravko Bregovac and Vjenceslav Richter's project proposal won first prize for their competition entry.

The entrance to the museum is a temple gateway with a female sphinx from the Iron Age (9th century BC) Neo-Hittite settlement of Tell Halaf.

The first section is a large hall containing numerous samples of human items and tools form the Stone Age found in the regions of Aleppo, Ain Dara and Ebla.

The second section is divide into a group of halls, classified geographically according to the Syrian regions and dedicated to the ancient civilizations of Syria.

Many Bronze Age objects from Hama and Ugarit are exhibited in the halls, statues and cuneiform scripts from Mari, as well as pieces discovered by Max Mallowan at the site of Tell Brak.