Mu?la's ancient sites, museums increasingly popular among tourists

Museums and ancient sites in the western province of Mu?la were visited by nearly 850,000 people last year, with the revenue from these visits topping 6 million Turkish Liras. 

Home to many ancient sites on UNESCO's temporary list of world heritage sites, Mu?la's Sedir Island and Bodrum Underwater Archaeology Museum were the most popular places for tourists in 2015. 

Mu?la Mayor Amir Çiçek said Mu?la was important in terms of tourism as well as its historical heritage and natural beauty. 

He said the city was home to 192 ancient sites, noting archaeological excavations were carried out in at least 10 ancient sites every year. He also said work was continuing to open the city's Beçin Castle, Kayaköy, Lagina, Kaunos, Stratonikeia and Tloss to tourism. "Visitors prefer to see the artifacts in their original places," he said, adding that the number of visitors increased in 2015 compared to the previous year. 

"The Bodrum Underwater Archaeology Museum, located inside the Bodrum Castle, built by the Saint John knights, is the one and only in Turkey. 

"It was visited by 206,091 people last year. It was followed by the Marmaris Museum with 50,168 people and the Zeki Müren Museum with 32,964 people," the mayor said. 

Çiçek said Sedir Island, around 25 kilometers away from Marmaris, also draws interest from tourists, adding it was visited by 149,984 people last year. 

"Fethiye's Kayaköy and Dalyan's Kaunos ancient city follow the Sedir Island in terms of the number of visitors," he said.In Photos: At least 27 refugees' bodies wash ashore on Turkey's Aegean coast In Photos: Greek Orthodox Christians dive into cold water to retrieve holy crossIn Photos: Celebrities walked the red carpet at the 73rd Golden GlobesIn...