The ancient city of Ephesus, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Izmir, western Türkiye, has reopened for evening visits as part of a night museum program.
As part of the night museum initiative carried out by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the ancient city will welcome visitors between 7 P.M. and 10 P.M. Visitors will be asked to leave the site by 11 P.M.
The initiative was launched to allow visitors to explore the ancient city during the cooler hours of the day. Important areas such as the Library of Celsus, Agora Square, Curetes Street, the Temple of Domitian, the ancient theater and the Terrace Houses are enhanced with special lighting.
In addition, the projection show that began last year on the façade of the Library of Celsus will continue this season. The night museum program at the ancient city will run until Oct. 1.
Meanwhile, many people attended the first day of the night museum program, waiting for the lights to be switched on to take photographs of the illuminated site.
Murat Kaleağasıoğlu, Director of the Ephesus Museum, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that they aim to surpass last season's visitor numbers.
Kaleağasıoğlu stated that the night museum program at Ephesus Ancient City will take place on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and is planned to continue until Oct. 1.
Noting that the program received significant interest last season, he continued:
Kaleağasıoğlu said that they expect the night museum program to attract similar interest to last year, noting that visitors often prefer exploring the site after sunset during the summer months.
“Visitors are happier exploring Ephesus at night because of the daytime heat and they really enjoy the atmosphere created by the lighting,” he said. “It offers a completely different experience.”
The night museum program is scheduled to run on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays until Oct. 1. However, it will be suspended during performances of the International Ephesus Opera and Ballet Festival, which is set to run from June 27 to around July 15.
Kaleağasıoğlu said the archaeological site welcomed more than 2.5 million visitors last year and is aiming to approach 3 million this year. He added that the night museum program alone is expected to attract more than 300,000 visitors.
