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Türkiye has temporarily closed 37 museums affiliated with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for a wide range of structural, architectural, and curatorial upgrades. The shutdowns, mostly concentrated in cities heavily impacted by recent earthquakes or with aging infrastructure, include several major institutions such as the Istanbul Archaeological Museums, the Gaziantep Archaeology Museum, and the Hatay Archaeology Museum.
The reasons for these closures vary, but most fall under five categories: structural reinforcement, restoration, exhibition and display redesign, general maintenance, and construction of entirely new buildings.
A significant number of museums were closed following the Feb. 6, 2023, earthquakes that struck southeastern Türkiye. Institutions in Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, and Adiyaman—regions that bore the brunt of the quakes—were among the first to shut their doors for safety inspections and structural repairs.
The Gaziantep Archaeology Museum, Hatay Archaeology Museum, and Malatya Museum were all closed for maintenance and repair on the same day. The Kilis Alaeddin Yavasca Museum, affected particularly in its Concert Hall section, also remains shut for restoration.
In western Türkiye, the Fethiye Museum in Mugla and the Aphrodisias Museum in Aydin province are currently undergoing structural reinforcement, while the Mugla Museum itself is closed for a combination of reinforcement and restoration efforts. The Antalya Museum has been closed more recently, in July 2025, to allow for the construction of a new building and the relocation of its artifacts.
Museums in central Anatolia, such as the Nevsehir Museum, the Urgup Museum, and the Nigde Museum, are all undergoing reinforcement work. Meanwhile, the iconic Istanbul Archaeological Museums—specifically the Classical Building’s ground floor and the North Wing—have also been shut since April 2023 for structural and curatorial work.
Some institutions have been closed for much longer periods. The Anamur Museum in Mersin, for instance, has remained shut since December 2012 due to ongoing reinforcement work. Similarly, the Isparta Museum has been under repair and environmental redesign since August 2014. Several other historic structures, including the Silvan Ataturk House Museum in Diyarbakir and the Semaki House Museum in Bursa, are also still undergoing restoration years after closure.
In Istanbul, the Great Palace Mosaic Museum and the Tiled Kiosk Museum are closed for exhibition and restoration efforts, while the Museum of the Ancient Orient has been undergoing display renewal since 2022.
Although several sources report that 35 museums are currently closed, the inclusion of the Adnan Menderes Democracy Museum and the Ahlat Museum—both recently added to the closure list—brings the total number to 37.
The Adnan Menderes Museum has been shut for maintenance since early July 2025, while the Ahlat Museum is undergoing landscaping and environmental work as of late July.
The ministry has not provided specific reopening dates for most of these institutions. Instead, authorities have used general language such as “until the completion of works,” leaving timelines uncertain for both local visitors and international tourists.
(As of July 2025)
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