Many cities on the territory of modern Turkey were under the rule of Ancient Greece and later became part of the great Roman Empire. That's why it's not surprising that the first Mask Museum in the country was opened in Izmir in 2011. After all, the Greeks and Romans are considered to be the founding fathers of ancient theater art, where they began to use the first decorative masks. There is another side of the mask life in the ancient world – it served as a sacred object in rituals and ceremonies, as well as powerful protection and talisman against evil spirits.

Both kinds of masks can be seen in the museum, which has placed its collections in a two-story historic mansion built in the eastern Levantine style. Its entire space is divided into several halls, which display ritual and theatrical, ancient Anatolian and death masks of world-famous public figures. The famous masks of Izmir actor Darío Moreno and prominent Turkish writer Aziz Nesin, famous poets Mehmet Akif Ersoy and Âşık Veysel, Nâzım Hikmet and Attilâ İlhan, as well as former President İsmet İnönü also belong to this museum. The central place in this hall belongs to the mask of the legendary first President of Turkey Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. All posthumous and Anatolian masks are located on the second floor of the museum. There are also several creative workshops where you can learn about the ancient art of creating and painting masks.

On the first floor, you can find ethnic masks. Most of this collection was brought from Africa, Australia, and Indonesia, and some masks are used in various cults and rituals even today.

Moreover, the museum houses traditional ceremonial and everyday costumes of prominent personalities: famous politicians, theater and film actors, as well as singers, poets, and writers.