Located in the external part of some important Qajar buildings, Sanandaj Museum is also known as the house of Salar Saeed which was constructed in two parts: a yard and exterior parts; a yard and interior parts, in time of Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar, approximately 150 years ago, by one of the most famous Sunni scholars naming Molla Lotf Allah Sheikh al-Islam, chief justice of Kordistan region. This building has been turned into the museum in 1354 S.H.
Sanandaj Museum has two separated sectors: the first one which is dedicated to the history and archaeology and the second one related to ethnographical materials. The first floor includes an alcove hall with pretty stucco, a seven- leaf Sash window (naming Orosi in Persian traditional architecture) and elegance mirror decorations and its surrounding rooms have been dedicated to Iranian materials from prehistory to the end of Sassanid period. The museum collection covers a vast time span from 3000 years ago, Medes period and pre Islamic era.
The most significant objects here is the section related to different parts of the province especially potteries, ivories and bones found in Zivieh site and Karaftu cave during the recent scientific excavations. Moreover, there also exist other noteworthy materials most of which related to Parthian and Sassanid periods as well as the first century B.C. about the second floor of the museum that is also considerable in terms of architecture with large rooms embracing an ornate porch can be noted that it has been dedicated to different Islamic materials form early Islamic to Qajar period.
The basement related to the ethnography section has a beautiful spring house. This section is extremely picturesque in terms of architectural decorations with a dome ceiling and elegance mirror ornaments. Ethnography museum also exhibits all commonly used utensils of daily life of people in this region through which we can follow the cultural and social contexts of people in different periods. The museum is currently located in the center of the city near Imam Khomeini Street, in the neighborhood of historical attractions of Sanandaj Central Mosque, Asef Vaziri Mansoin and Mojtahedi House.
