When the Museum started to work and the permanent collection was set up, the requirements were met to instigate more thorough historic research and collecting of objects, materials and items appertaining to the history of this region. This department is a segment of the organised professional activities of the Museum; therefore, the historical items were collected concomitantly with the exhibits falling under other fields. Some of them have been there from the time the Museum was set up.

The task of the Historical Department is not only to collect process and display the cultural heritage pertaining to the history of this region, but also to systematically investigate and study the historical events. From the chronological perspective, the collection follows the historical events from the second half of the 18th until the mid 20th century. This Department pays much attention to studying the most significant periods from the history of Novi Pazar.

The ''Ras''Museum Historical Department has an enviable amount of exhibits which were classified under specific units: arms, decorations, military equipment, busts, old books, documents, seals, and photographs.

Among the oldest exhibits of this Department are yataghans, a cold weapon whose origin is attributed to Middle Asia. Yataghan is a longer knife with specific appearance, single-edged blade; it is curved and made from the top-quality steel. According to the type and colour of the material from which the hilt is made, yataghans are divided into belosapci, made from ivory or other kinds of white bone, and crnosapci, made from buffalo black horn or wood. The hilts were richly ornamented with silver applications. Historical department of ''Ras''Museum collected six yataghans date back to the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century.

Dated to the same periods are the nine sabres, representing the marks of distinction for the officers and they were made in Turkey, Austro-Hungary, or Serbia. From the 18th century, the sabre was used in the infantry primarily as a sign of the officers’ status and honour, and it remained in use in the cavalry until the latter was dissolved. In the territory of our country, the sabres were used in the 17th and 18th century. The sabres were used in the First and the Second Serbian Rebellion and those were of Austrian, Turkish, Serbian, and other origin. Brigands also used sabres and kubura (pistol).

In the beginning, while they were still used in the battle, a clear distinction could be made between the artillery sabres, infantry sabres, the sabres carried by infantrymen and the light cavalry. However, as the time passed, when their usable value declined and they became a symbol of officers’ dignity, these distinctions vanished so that in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, all services of ground forces had the same sabre.Besides yataghans and sabres, cold weapons include: daggers, knives, bayonets, kasatura.

Bayonet is a stabbing or cutting/stabbing weapon for close combat that is inserted into the muzzle of the rifle. It is used even without the rifle, for attack and personal defence. Its name originates in the name of a kind of hunting knife bayonet (bajonnette) which first appeared in the end of the 15th century in the city of Bayonne. It was introduced into the armament in the second half of the 17th century. At first it was in the form of a two-blade knife, and later it had a triangle or quadrangle profile. The collection includes several specimens of bayonet, inter alia, several triple-blade ones.

Soldiers’ gear and large knifes, such as foils, are known under the name of kasatura. Some of the samples in our possession have a hilt shaped as the Latin letter 'S' and metal scabbard.

The oldest among the firearms are kubura (three specimens), predecessors of pistols, which are among the most numerous firearms in our Museum. Kubura is deemed to be solely such types of pistol whose grip ends in a wide and ample knob. These include pećanke, kubura made in the city of Peć. Similar to pećanke are kubura from Foča. The ones gorgeously ornamented by filigree technique and coral applications and also called skadarske considering they were mostly made in Skadar. Included among the more beautiful are bušatlijke which were also made in Skadar. Kubura were carried strapped around the waist, in the so-called pripašnjača, or in kuburlija. The historical collection hosts two types of kubura: two pećanke from the first half of the 19th century and one fočanka-skadarka.

Whereas kuburas is attributed to the turn of the 18th and the 19th century, pistols are dated bask in the period from the 19th century until the end of the Second World War. Attributed to the same period are rifles (13 of them), one machine gun, and a trench mortar.

Pistols are personal firearm intended for closer combat. Intended purpose of revolver is the same but it differs from the pistol in the drum with bullets which moves when you pull the trigger and leads the bullet into the muzzle.

The collection has eight revolvers and three pistols, among them one Austro-Hungarian revolver GASER M 70, cal. 11.2mm, a German pistol MAUZER 1896, cal. 9mm, a pistol with Arabic numbers from 1899, and a revolver with 'Espania' written on it.

In the beginning of the First World War, Serbian army had 12000 quick-fire rifles M-91 (Russian), and Thessalonica front line, it obtained the French rifle Lebel, M 7/15, cal. 8mm. Yugoslav army was at first armed with Mannlicher rifles, M 88/89, M-90, and M-95, and later with Mauser rifle M-24, cal. 7.9mm which were first manufactured in Belgium and later on in Kragujevac. In the People’s Liberation War (NOR), besides Yugoslav rifle M-24 and the rifles which were war loot, the rifles made in partisan workshops were used.

Made after the war were domestic, quick-fire rifles M-48, cal. 7.9mm and semiautomatic M-59, cal. 7.62mm. According to the calibre, rifles are classified as: small-calibre (5-6mm), medium-calibre (6.5-8mm), and large-calibre (11-20mm).The Museum hosts, among all: the Italian rifle M- 40, cal. 6.5mm; MIDA BRESCIA, Italian E-6926; PIETRO BERETTA - GARDONE VALLE TROMPIA - ITALIA, the rifles manufactured between 1918 and 1930; a French rifle MAS, M-36. The Historical Collection hosts solely one machine gun, MADSEN, which was first manufactured in Denmark, in 1903.

Hand-held firearms had their accessories, such as fišeklija (bandoleer) and zejtinlica (oil can) or mazalica (grease cup). Fišeklija is in the shape of a rectangular box and was made from silver, alpaca, or bronze, in the casting or forging procedure, and has geometrical or floral ornaments.
Zejtinlice (oil can) are much smaller and oil and cloth for rifle cleaning were kept in them. Both fišeklijas and zejtinlicas were carried on the belt.

The modern term decorations, that includes orders, medals and memorials, covers different signs of recognition for achievements in different segments of social-political life, concerning the segments of life such as military, culture or education, the social segment, or other. However, the institution of awarding is much older than this term that we use today.

As a sign of appreciation, the medal had appeared before the order did. Its origins are in the Antiquity (the word 'medal' is associated with the Latin term 'mettalum' - metal, ore). Serbian word for this is spomenica (memorials) and, if it has an eye of a needle, then it is called kolajna (medal). A medal is a plaque decorated with a relief on both sides, made from gold, silver, bronze, lead, or alloys. If it is of a rectangular or quadrangular form, then it is called plaketa (plaque). Although they resemble coins, their intended use is quite different and they are mostly given to award, but they can be memorial, honourable, or to mark a jubilee. On one or on both sides of the medal there is a relief image with the inscription. On the head side we mostly see a portrait and on the tail side different allegorical compositions, symbols, heraldry of different countries and cities.

In Serbia, the art of medal making did not appear before middle of the 19th century. Serbian Principality got its first decoration during the rule of Milan Obrenović (1868-1889). Before that time, foreign orders and medals were the only official signs of recognition for wartime and peacetime achievements. The oldest Serbian medal was issued to mark Svetoandrejska skupština (the Saint Andreja Assembly) on the 12th of December 1858. In Montenegro, the medal was introduced in 1840 when it was represented by one specimen of a memorial of the Prince Nikola I (Memorial of the War for Liberation and Independence 1875-1878).

Among the foreign medals, the earliest series is that of the medals from Austria, from the second half of the 18th century – the time of Maria Teresia (1740-1780). Before 1867, the medals belonged to the Austrian and, after 1918, to the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. This is particularly true for the time of Franz Joseph I (1848-1916). Also attributed to the 19th century are Turkish medals – Order of Medžedija 1853.
In the Kingdom of SHS (1918-1929) the number of medals was small. Between the two world wars, several new memorial medals were introduced: Albanska spomenica (Albanian memorial) in 1920 and Memorial of the War for Liberation and Integration 1914-1918.

The medals in the Museum are the following: Order of Medžidija 1853; Order of St. Sava of the fifth degree – 1883; Medal of Nikola I the Prince of Montenegro– 1878; Medal of Petar I the King of Serbia – 1914-1918; Medal of Loyalty to the Fatherland; Medal of Franz Joseph – 1848-1908; Medal for Courage; Memorial of the Serbian-Turkish war; Marksmanship Medal; Memorial of the Serbian-Bulgarian war 1913.

King Aleksandar I Karađorđević visited Novi Pazar and Sopoćani on the 20th April 1934. On this occasion, he visited the school in Požega, namely on Dojević, and gave its headmaster, Dragoslav Bošković, 2000 dinars to buy clothes for the destitute pupils.

Besides the newspapers articles that made a recording of the King's arrival to Novi Pazar, the Museum has a bronze a bust of King Aleksandar I Karađorđević, dim. 65.5h 33cm. The King was depicted in his military uniform, with Albanska spomenica and Medal of Loyalty to the Fatherland pinned on chest. Author of the bust is Slavko Miletić.

Integral parts of the Historical Collection are the typewriters, old books and documents. Besides half a dozen of UNDERWOOD, REMINGTON and INVICTA typewriters, there is one extremely valuable exhibit, a German decoding machine from the Second World War which was owned by the forces which invaded the Balkans. The make of this machine is 'Cosmos' Berlin sw 68 MERCEDES-EUKLID.

There are two kind of old books kept in the Museum: the books written in Arabian letters and Turkish language and Old Church Slavic script. Written in Arabic letters are: Tarih dževdet (history) in six volumes from 1719-1822; Young Turk Revolution (a book of memories) from 1908; History of Italy, from the times of Napoleon Bonaparte 1785-1810; Goethe – three books written in the Arabian and Hebrew language, and a number of books whose titles were either not preserved or not read. Written in Old Church Slavic script are two prayer books. Almost all books are hard copies, made from fabric or leather, considerably damaged.

Besides the books, the Historical Collection hosts one geographical map of the Turkish Empire created at the turn of the 19th and the 20th century, and a number of documents written in either Arabic or Serbian script. These documents include: title deeds, laws, applications, wills, passports, etc. A Contract from 1863 is of particular interest made between Osmanagić Mehmed-agha and Tahir-agha and Ilić Radovan, their čipčija (serfs). This contract was written bilingually, its left column is in Serbian and the right one in Old Turkish language.

Together with the old documents, there are seals – muhuri that were preserved, smaller in size and made, mostly, from bronze. They consist of a plaque whose one side hosts a text written in Arabic letters and the other a triangular flattened carved. Several seals have a triangular cast body that is inscribed on all three sides. A narrow rod was slipped through the middle and the handle can be hung on it so that the body of the seal can rotate.

Among the old photographs, the most important are those from the beginning of the 20th century. These are the photographs of Novi Pazar and its surroundings, made by an anonymous Austro-Hungarian officer who stayed in the territory of our country at the time of the First World War. Negatives of these photographs were obtained from the Viennese archive. Also interesting is a collection of photographs made by Dragoslav Bošković, a teacher who, together with his wife who was also a teacher, taught in the Dojević School in the 30s of the 20th century.