The Museum of Archaeology sits within the complex of the National Academy of Sciences, a Soviet-era cluster of buildings on a boulevard near the city centre. The collection focuses on the prehistoric and early historic cultures of the Kazakh steppe and mountains — the Saka, Wusun, and Kangju peoples who occupied this territory before the Turkic migrations of the early medieval period.
The standout exhibits are the burial goods from the Saka kurgans (burial mounds) scattered across the surrounding steppe: gold jewellery, weapons, horse fittings, and ceramic vessels. Many of these were found within a few hours' drive of Almaty and represent some of the finest metalwork from the Eurasian steppe Bronze and Iron Ages. The museum is less visited than the Central State Museum and consequently less crowded — serious visitors interested in the archaeology of Central Asia will find it more rewarding.