Published on : Monday, May 21, 2018
According to the tourism ministry, it is said that the museums and palaces of Istanbul attracted more than 2 million people.
Istanbul’s Topkapı Palace alone, a residence to the Ottoman sultans for almost 400 years, has attracted over 830,588 visitors during the first the first quarter of 2018.
In the year 2015, Istanbul museums were visited by over 9 million people. For this reason, Istanbul museums plan to welcome tourists with new strategy.
Istanbul boasts 91 official museums, including 35 private as well as 19 museums operating under the Culture and Tourism Ministry as well as three under the Turkish military. Twelve others are Turkish national palaces.
Some of the highlights of Istanbul museums are Hagia Sophia, a Christian church until it was converted into a mosque when the Ottomans conquered Istanbul in 1453 and later turned into a museum in 1935, as well as Dolmabahçe Palace, built by Sultan Abdülmecid in the mid-19th century and the place where President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey, died. Another gem of Istanbul is the Museum of Innocence, opened by Turkey’s Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk based on his 2008 novel of the same name. Coşkun also pointed out the importance of promoting Turkish museums.
The tourism ministry has conducted Istanbul Museums Workshop on May 22-23, to find ways to introduce Turkish museums widely. Coşkun said the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum in Istanbul’s historic peninsula will be open until 1.30 a.m. during the holy month of Ramadan.
Tags: Istanbul museums, Turkey