The returned historical artifacts increased the number of visitors

Antalya Museum Director Mustafa Demirel stated that the increase in the number of visitors to the archaeological sites and museums in Antalya is due to the “Heritage for the Future” project implemented by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the exhibition of artifacts returned from abroad at the Antalya Museum.

In the first six months of the year, Antalya hosted 6 million 200 thousand foreign tourists, while 1 million 112 thousand 261 local and foreign citizens visited its museums and archaeological sites during the same period. Noting that there are actively 19 excavation projects ongoing in Antalya and that the city has 5 museums, Antalya Museum Director Mustafa Demirel expressed that the visitor portfolio of the museums and archaeological sites, especially in Side, Alanya, Kemer, Demre, and Antalya, is increasing every day. Demirel pointed out that the intensification of excavation and restoration works under the “Heritage for the Future” project, which aims to transfer history from the past to the future by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, has increased the visibility of archaeological sites.

Demirel emphasized that the artifacts smuggled from Turkey and recently returned from the USA have greatly contributed to the increase in visitor numbers, continuing as follows: “Our Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy initiated the ‘Heritage for the Future’ project, primarily focusing on our country and Antalya. With these efforts, excavation and restoration works are being carried out with great pleasure at some of our archaeological sites, and the visibility of cities has increased. This is one of the factors contributing to the increase in visitors. Our museums are undergoing exhibition arrangement works, and they are becoming more beautiful. New artifacts have started to be displayed, especially in the Antalya Museum, where artifacts returned from abroad are showcased. Artifacts returned from the United States have been displayed for our visitors to see. These are another factor contributing to the increase in visitor numbers. In addition, there are very beautiful ancient cities in the Pamphylia and Lycia regions; Termessos, Phaselis, Olympos, Perge, each of which is valuable. The heads of excavations in these regions are trying to implement the ‘Heritage for the Future’ project as best as possible, valuing the cities as per our Minister’s instructions.

Antalya Museum does not receive the attention it deserves

Mustafa Demirel also provided information about the night museum application implemented by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism at many points with high tourist visits, stating that the Antalya Museum is open until 21:00 and that the archaeological sites of Side, Patara, and Aspendos are open until 22:30. Demirel said, “Our Ministry initiated the night museum project thinking that it is very difficult for local and foreign visitors to tour cultural routes during the daytime in hot summer months, aiming to break the effect and increase interest in archaeological sites. In Antalya, our archaeological sites in Side, Patara, and Aspendos are open until 22:30 at night. There is interest in this, and efforts are being made to improve the conditions at our archaeological sites. Our museums are also open until 21:00, and we welcome all our guests in the city to our museums and archaeological sites that are open in the evening. Currently, the Antalya Museum has hosted approximately 75 thousand visitors, but this is not the number of visitors it deserves. Due to the museum’s location and the artifacts it houses, the guest portfolio should be very high. Under the night museum concept, our museum is open to visitors until 21:00. We hope that the number of visitors to our museum will increase in the remaining part of the year and in 2025,” he stated.

Routes to visit in Antalya

Pointing out that Antalya is a very special region within the Anatolian geography, Mustafa Demirel emphasized that all citizens living in and traveling to Antalya should visit the city’s cultural routes. Demirel concluded his remarks as follows: “Our visitors should plan to visit all the cities in this area, from the east at Karain Cave to the west at Patara. The Ministry is doing serious work to transfer the history from the past to future generations. We want this work to be seen by our visitors. I encourage all citizens to visit the archaeological sites, and I believe they will have great pleasure from this journey. Those who love nature should see Termessos, those interested in cave culture should visit Karain Cave, and those interested in Roman period structures by the sea should visit Patara, Olympos, and Phaselis. If one wants to see the uniqueness of architecture in an ancient city, the imperial process, and the experiences, they should visit Perge and Aspendos’ ancient theaters. If they are curious about the works of Seljuk art, they should see Alanya Castle, and if they want to see the most beautiful restoration and excavation works in recent years, they should especially visit Side at night.”