The number of museums in Türkiye rose by 4.4 percent in 2025, while museums and archaeological sites welcomed nearly 66 million visitors, according to data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) on Monday.

The number of museums operating across Türkiye reached 664 in 2025, up from the previous year. Of these, 220 were affiliated with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, while 426 were private museums. A further 18 museums operated under the Directorate of National Palaces.

Türkiye also had 148 archaeological sites and ruins open to visitors during the year, highlighting the country’s extensive historical and cultural heritage.

Museum collections exceed 4 million artifacts

The total number of works and artifacts held in museums increased by 0.4 percent year-on-year, reaching 4,012,294 in 2025.

Museums affiliated with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism accounted for the largest share, with their collections increasing by 0.5 percent to 3,388,462 works.

Private museums held 292,271 works, an increase of 0.4 percent, while collections in museums affiliated with the Directorate of National Palaces declined by 0.5 percent to 331,561 works.

Coins constituted the largest category among the collections of Ministry-affiliated museums, accounting for 60.4 percent of all works. Archaeological materials represented 27.8 percent, followed by ethnographic materials at 6.7 percent and tablets at 3.5 percent.

Museum and archaeological-site visits rise 6.8 percent

Visitor numbers also recorded a significant increase in 2025. Museums and archaeological sites across Türkiye welcomed 65,862,639 visitors, representing a 6.8 percent increase compared with the previous year.

Museums and archaeological sites affiliated with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism accounted for 52.9 percent of total visitors.

The number of paying visitors to Ministry-affiliated museums and archaeological sites reached 20,888,733, corresponding to 31.7 percent of all visitors.

Private museums recorded particularly strong growth, with visitor numbers rising 10.8 percent to 21,905,335.

By contrast, museums affiliated with the Directorate of National Palaces recorded an 8.8 percent decline, receiving 9,122,685 visitors during the year.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism sold 6,804,917 museum cards in 2025, reflecting continued public interest in Türkiye’s museums and cultural sites.

İstanbul leads museum visits

İstanbul remained by far the most visited province for museums and archaeological sites in 2025.

The city recorded 18,307,485 visitors, followed by İzmir with 4,646,357 and Ankara with 4,642,683.

The figures underline the importance of Türkiye’s major cultural centers, which host a combination of archaeological collections, historical monuments, palaces and other cultural attractions.

Immovable cultural heritage continues to grow

The number of registered immovable cultural assets in Türkiye increased by 2.6 percent from the previous year, reaching 130,632 in 2025.

İstanbul had the largest number of registered immovable cultural assets, with 34,558, followed by İzmir with 8,120 and Muğla with 5,332.

The total number of registered cultural and archaeological sites also increased, rising 6 percent to 27,703.

Archaeological sites accounted for the overwhelming majority of these locations, representing 97.1 percent of the total.

National parks and nature parks expand

Türkiye’s protected natural areas also expanded in 2025.

The number of national parks increased by 2 percent to 50, while their total area grew 3.2 percent to 942,286 hectares.

The number of nature parks rose 2.2 percent to 274, covering a total area of 94,294 hectares, an increase of 0.2 percent.

The number of nature conservation areas remained unchanged at 32, while the country continued to have 111 registered natural monuments.

The latest figures point to continued growth in Türkiye’s cultural and natural heritage infrastructure, as museums attract millions of visitors and the country expands efforts to preserve its archaeological, historical and environmental assets. (ILKHA)