Nighttime Museum Visits Exceed 1.3 Million in Türkiye

Türkiye’s Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, announced that nighttime visits to museums and archaeological sites across the country had reached a record high, surpassing 1.3 million visitors during the current period.

In a post on his official social media accounts, Ersoy said that the number of visitors to museums and archaeological sites during nighttime opening hours had reached 1,326,590, marking a 32% increase compared with last year, when the figure stood at approximately 1 million.

The ancient city of Ephesus in İzmir Province topped the list of the most popular nighttime destinations, attracting 501,811 visitors, an increase of 36%.

The iconic Galata Tower in Istanbul ranked second, with 277,557 visitors, while the ancient city of Hierapolis (Pamukkale) in Denizli Province came third, recording 190,910 visitors.

Other sites attracting significant numbers of visitors included the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology in Muğla, with 62,071 visitors; the ancient city of Didyma in Aydın, with 60,884 visitors; and the Marmaris Museum, which welcomed 50,053 visitors.

Nighttime visits were introduced at 22 museums and archaeological sites operated by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism between June 1 and October 1.

Due to strong public demand, the nighttime visiting program at the Göreme archaeological site was extended until October 31, while Galata Tower will continue offering nighttime visits throughout the year.