The museum is located in the historic Sur district of Diyarbakır.

It is close to Grand Mosque and the Cahit Sıtkı Tarancı Museum.

Ziya Gökalp (1876–1924) was one of the most important intellectuals and spokesmen of the Turkish nationalist movement.

Valuable books and furniture were burned and the museum was temporarily closed to visits.

[4] According to Aydınlık newspaper, the masked mob was a PKK-oriented group.