The museum consists of two Ottoman buildings combined and furnished by Major Guyer-Anderson, who was a British member of the Egyptian civil service from 1930-1940. Guyer-Anderson was a talented collector, so among the exhibits of the museum there are beautiful items of pharaonic, Islamic and Central Asian art, acquired by him during his travels around the region.

The buildings, along with their contents, were bequeathed to Egypt by Guyer-Anderson (he died in 1945), and after his death they were carefully restored by the British Mission. Numerous halls are furnished in various styles: the Persian Hall is decorated with elegant tiles, the Damascus Hall is decorated with lacquer and gold, and the Queen Anne Hall has beautiful furniture and a silver tea set. Spend some time in the Reception Hall with its ornate marble floor and mosaic fountain in the center. In the courtyard of the oriental house is the "spring of bats" - the subject of numerous local legends. The rooftop terrace has been carefully restored and features charming mashrabiya windows.