Türkiye’s Night Museums Project Returns for Third Season Across 20 Iconic Heritage Sites

Türkiye’s Night Museums Project has officially returned for its third season, extending access to some of the country’s most celebrated museums and archaeological sites beyond their usual visiting hours.

Having welcomed well over one million visitors in 2025, the initiative will allow guests to explore 20 museums and heritage sites during the evening between 1 June and 1 October 2026. From Mount Nemrut and Ephesus to Zeugma Mosaic Museum and the Galata Tower, participating attractions will welcome visitors from 7pm until their designated late-night closing times.

The project offers travellers a distinctive way to experience Türkiye’s cultural heritage, combining history, atmosphere and discovery beneath illuminated night skies.

Alongside strengthening the country’s cultural tourism offering, the Night Museums Project supports the sustainable management of heritage sites by spreading visitor numbers more evenly throughout the day. Extended opening hours can help ease daytime congestion, encourage visitors to spend longer at each destination and create opportunities for deeper engagement with Türkiye’s cultural treasures.

İstanbul Museums by Night

İstanbul offers visitors the chance to experience some of the city’s best-known cultural landmarks in a new nocturnal setting.

The İstanbul Archaeological Museums, Türkiye’s first museum complex and home to an outstanding collection spanning numerous civilisations, will remain open after dark alongside the Galata Tower and the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum.

Visitors can discover the world’s oldest known peace treaty and one of the oldest surviving love poems at the İstanbul Archaeological Museums, take in panoramic views of the illuminated city and Golden Horn from the Galata Tower, and explore the collections of the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum, housed within the former İbrahim Pasha Palace.

Experience Antiquity Beneath the Aegean Sky

In İzmir, the ancient city of Ephesus is transformed by night-time illumination, bringing its monumental architecture and remarkably preserved Roman streets to life beneath the Aegean sky.

Other participating sites in the region include Hierapolis in Denizli and the Temple of Apollo at Didyma in Aydın.

Hierapolis, named after Hiera, the wife of Pergamon’s legendary founder Telephos, is particularly striking after dark, with its theatre and ancient streets illuminated alongside the nearby white travertine terraces.

The Temple of Apollo at Didyma, one of the largest temples of the ancient world, is similarly impressive at night, when lighting highlights its Ionic columns and monumental architecture.

A Starlit Journey Through the Turkish Riviera

Antalya, at the heart of the Turkish Riviera, combines crystal-clear waters and around 300 days of sunshine with a rich ancient heritage shaped by the historic regions of Lycia, Pamphylia and Pisidia.

Among the region’s participating sites are Aspendos, Patara and Side. Visitors can experience Aspendos’ remarkably preserved Roman theatre, Patara’s ancient assembly building and newly restored lighthouse, and Side’s seaside Temple of Apollo beneath atmospheric evening lighting.

The Alanya Museum and the Museum of Lycian Civilisations will also remain open during the evening, adding further depth to the region’s cultural offering.

Anatolian Heritage Under the Moonlight

A number of important historical and cultural sites across Anatolia are also included in the Night Museums Project.

These include Mount Nemrut in Adıyaman, known for its monumental ancient statues; the historic Tombstones of Ahlat in Bitlis, which represent exceptional examples of early Turkish stonework and craftsmanship; and Cappadocia’s rock-carved Derinkuyu Underground City, which once provided shelter for early Christian communities.

Visitors can also explore the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations in Ankara, the Zeugma Mosaic Museum in Gaziantep, and both the Şanlıurfa Archaeological Museum and Haleplibahçe Mosaic Museum late into the evening.

Together, the participating sites offer travellers the opportunity to experience Türkiye’s heritage in a memorable new light throughout summer 2026.