Museums in Malaysia have started since 1883 when the British government established the Perak Museum in Taiping, followed by the Sarawak Museum in Kuching in 1888. Then the Selangor state has set up its museum in 1899.

In 1910, the management of the Perak Museum and Selangor Museum were merged under the Federation of Malay State Museums Department. However, the management was separated by the British ruler as a system towards decentralization in 1930.

A part of the Selangor Museum building was destroyed by the bombs which dropped by the Allied Air Force on 10 March 1945. As a result, a lot of artefacts were destroyed.

After independence in 1959, the government has appointed an architect to design the National Museum on the site of the Selangor Museum. The National Museum was launched by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong III Tuanku Syed Putra Al-Haj Ibni Almarhum Syed Hassan Jamalullail on the 31st of August 1963.

This museum located within or the Central Bank of Malaysia traces the evolution of
money and provides an insight into how people traded in ancient times before
money was invented. The collection includes coins from the Malay Sultanate,
colonial money, private tokens, commemorative issues and world currencies.
Highlights are the cockerel-shaped barter currency used in 1710 in
Kedah and brass items used in Borneo until the 20th century.
Its Art Centre houses a collection of works by local artists.

Interest in Islamic art has grown enormously in recent years. Reflecting this awareness, in December 1998 Malaysia became home to Southeast Asia's largest museum of Islamic art. The building occupies 30,000 square metres, situated amid the leafy surroundings of central Kuala Lumpur's Lake Gardens.