Jos Museum

Jos Museum was founded in 1952 and it is situated near the Jos Zoo in the heart of the city. The museum offers collections such as Nok terracotta heads – sculptures dating as far back as 500 B. C. There is also a collection of finely crafted pottery in the Pottery Hall inside the museum and music instruments. Other collections displayed are mining exhibitions of the olden days.

It is an important center of research into the prehistoric culture of Nigeria and was recognized as one of the best in the country but fell into ruin. The Pottery Hall in the museum has an exceptional collection of finely crafted pottery from all over Nigeria. The museum boasts some fine specimens of Nok terracotta heads and artifacts dating from between 500 BC to AD 200.

It also incorporates the Museum of Traditional Nigerian Architecture with life-size replicas of a variety of buildings, from the walls of Kano and the Mosque at Zaria to a Tiv village. Articles of interest from colonial times relating to the railway and tin mining can also be found on display. A School for Museum Technicians is attached to the museum, established with the help of UNESCO. The Jos Museum is also located beside the zoo.