Turkey sees 5.8 % rise in number of museums in 2020 
A view from the Topkapı Palace Museum, Istanbul. (Shutterstock Photo)


According to the cultural heritage statistics of the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), the number of museums in Turkey increased by 5.8% in 2020 compared to the previous year and reached 494. There were 467 museums in 2019.

The statistics also showed that 205 of the museums are under the Culture and Tourism Ministry, while 289 are run privately.

The number of visitors to state museums, however, sharply decreased due to restrictions imposed to curb the coronavirus pandemic. Visitors fell by 73.6% to 9.2 million in 2020.

Meanwhile, the number of artworks in museums affiliated with the ministry increased by 0.5% last year, reaching 3.3 million.

Similarly, national parks in the country rose by 2.3%, and nature parks by 1.2%.