The article aims at reconstructing the initial collection of the Bakhchisaray historical, cultural and archaeological museum-reserve. The article for the first time focuses in detail on the formation of the first funds of the National Museum of the Crimean Tatars that was the precursor to the modern Museum. Currently, there are several problems associated with the formation of its funds and the attribution of a significant number of museum objects from the pre-war Museum. The main sources for the research were the documents from the archives of the Museum-Reserve and the State Archive of the Republic of the Crimea.