Tourism: 27 museums and monuments in Turkey will open to the public at night

Up to 27 museums and historical and archaeological monuments in Turkey will be open at night from 1 June as part of an initiative promoted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism which, following last year’s success, will illuminate and open up the country’s most outstanding tourist attractions to tourism during the night, with the aim of avoiding crowds at peak times of the day and allowing tourists to visit during the coolest hours.

One of the most interesting places for night tours is the ruins of the ancient city of Ephesus, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and which – according to Turkish news agencies, citing sources from the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism – will be illuminated at night and can be visited until 11 p.m. from Wednesday to Saturday.

Another outstanding historical monument that reflects the ancient history of Anatolia is the impressive Mount Nemrut, located in the south-eastern province of Adıyaman: this gigantic tomb, built over 2,000 years ago at an altitude of 2,150 metres by the Hellenistic king Antiochus I of Commagene, will be illuminated and open to visitors from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Notable museums in Istanbul are also included in this interesting and attractive initiative, including the Istanbul Archaeological Museum (except for the closed sections), the Hagia Sophia History and Experience Museum, and the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, which will open their doors until 10 p.m. The famous Galata Tower, which offers breathtaking panoramic views of Istanbul and the Bosphorus, will remain open until 11 p.m.

Several museums and archaeological sites in Antalya, one of the main tourist destinations on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, will also remain open to the public at night: these include the Antalya Museum, the Alanya Museum, the ruins of Aspendos, the Antalya Necropolis Museum, and the archaeological sites of Patara and Side, which can be visited until 10 p.m.

In the province of Nevşehir, in the heart of Cappadocia, the archaeological site of Zelve-Paşabağlar will remain open to the public until 9 p.m., as will the underground cities of Derinkuyu, Kaymaklı and Özkonak. Also worth noting is the opportunity to visit at night the impressive Zeugma Mosaic Museum in Gaziantep (southeastern Turkey), which is considered the largest mosaic museum in the world and will not close its doors until 9 p.m. These night-time opening hours will come into effect on 1 June and will remain in place until 1 October.

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