Millions of tourists flocked to Hagia Sophia, Topkapi, and Rum Museums in 2009

Istanbul's Byzantine architectural wonder, the Hagia Sophia; Topkapi Palace, home to the Ottoman imperial family for four centuries; and Konya's Mevlana Rumi Museum, which houses the tomb of the 13th century Sufi saint and poet, were the top museums in Turkey in 2009, the Culture and Tourism Ministry announced yesterday. The three state-run museums attracted the largest number of local and foreign visitors in the first 11 months of the year, the Anatolia news agency reported. In addition, the three top archaeological sites on the list, compiled and announced annually by the ministry, were the ancient Greek city of Ephesus near Izmir; Denizli's Hierapolis, also known as Pamukkale, famous for its hot springs; and the Central Anatolian natural wonders in Goreme, Cappadocia. Museums and archaeological sites run by the ministry attracted 20.2 million tourists through November. Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya) is a former Byzantine church and former Ottoman mosque in Istanbul. Now a museum, Hagia Sophia is universally acknowledged as one of the world's greatest structures. Topkapi Palace for centuries was the official and primary residence of the Ottoman sultans. The palace was the setting of state ceremonies and royal entertainment and is a major tourist attraction today, containing what are believed to be some of the most holy relics of the Muslim world such as a cloak and sword said to belong to the Prophet Muhammad. The Mevlana Rumi Museum, located in Konya, is the mausoleum of the Sufi mystic known as Mevlana in Turkey or Rumi in Western countries. It was also the dervish lodge (tekke) of the Mevlevi order, better known as the whirling dervishes.