The number of museums across Turkey rose 5 percent last year compared to the previous year, reaching 438

The number of visitors to museums and archaeological sites affiliated with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism also rose by 18.9 percent to 20,509,746

Across Turkey, the number of museums rose by 5 percent last year compared with the previous year to reach 438, while the number of visitors to museums and archaeological sites affiliated with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism also rose by 18.9 percent to 20,509,746.

The Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) released its cultural heritage statistics for 2017.

Accordingly, the number of museums across Turkey rose by 5 percent last year compared with 2016 to 438. Of these museums, 199 were within the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, while 239 were in the private museum category.

The number of artifacts in museums affiliated with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism decreased by 0.2 percent last year compared with the previous year to 3,306,073.

The number of visitors to museums and archaeological sites affiliated with the Ministry increased by 18.9 percent over the same period and was recorded as 20,509,746.

The number of people who visited the Ministry’s paid museums and archaeological sites in Turkey last year also increased by 28.3 percent compared with the previous year.

The number of people who visited the Ministry’s paid museums and archaeological sites was 12,807,822 in 2017, accounting for 62.4 percent of total visitors. The number of people who visited free museums and archaeological sites was calculated as 7,701,924, accounting for 37.6 percent of total visitors.

The Number of Artifacts and Visitors at Private Museums Also Increased

The number of artifacts in private museums increased by 3.4 percent last year compared with the previous year to 386,842. The number of visitors to these museums was also recorded as 10,151,930 over the same period, an increase of 26.3 percent.

The number of immovable cultural assets under the responsibility of museums increased by 2.7 percent in 2017 compared with 2016 to 106,356. The province with the highest number of immovable cultural assets under the responsibility of museums was Istanbul with 31,191, followed by Izmir with 6,909 immovable cultural assets, Muğla with 4,350 immovable cultural assets, and Bursa with 4,329 immovable cultural assets.

While the number and area of national parks did not change during this period, the number of nature parks increased by 6.7 percent to 223, and the area of nature parks increased by 3 percent to 102,409 hectares.

While the number of nature monuments remained the same, their area increased by 0.9 percent. The number of nature conservation areas also did not change in 2017 compared with 2016, while their size decreased by 1 percent to 46,794 hectares.