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Museums and archaeological sites run by Türkiye's Culture and Tourism Ministry hosted 1.5 million visitors during the Eid al-Adha holiday, with Ephesus, Hierapolis-Pamukkale and Gobeklitepe standing out as the most visited cultural destinations.
The ministry said a total of 1,514,211 people visited museums and heritage sites across the country during the holiday period, underlining continued public interest in Türkiye's cultural routes.
Ephesus Archaeological Site, one of Türkiye's best-known ancient cities, ranked first with 119,143 visitors during the holiday.
It was followed by the Hierapolis-Pamukkale Archaeological Site in Denizli, which drew 113,034 visitors. Gobeklitepe, the prehistoric site in Sanliurfa, came third with 65,446 visitors.
Other major stops also drew strong interest. The Zelve-Pasabaglar Archaeological Site in Nevsehir welcomed 55,492 visitors, while Gaziantep's Zeugma Mosaic Museum hosted 48,843 visitors.
Visitor activity remained high throughout the Eid holiday, according to the ministry.
Museums and archaeological sites welcomed 163,815 visitors on the eve of the holiday and 150,086 on the first day. The numbers then picked up further, reaching 208,907 on the second day, 252,127 on the third day and 219,017 on the fourth day.
The momentum also carried over into the following Sunday, when 118,310 people chose cultural routes after the holiday period.
Among other heavily visited sites were the Goreme Archaeological Site, the Sumela Monastery in Trabzon, the Phaselis Archaeological Site in Antalya, the Galata Tower in Istanbul and the Derinkuyu Underground City in Nevsehir.
Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said in a social media post that cultural routes across Türkiye were filled with visitors during the holiday.
Ersoy said restoration work, visitor-focused practices and a new approach to museology had helped build up interest in museums and archaeological sites.
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