More than 30 new museums opened in Turkey over last decade

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has announced in a written statement that 38 new museums were opened while another 97 received a major overhaul with restoration and maintenance work in Turkey over the last decade. Restoration and construction work is still continuing in 188 state museums, 172 private museums and 130 historical sites in the country, the Anatolia news agency said, citing the ministry statement. A total of 152,123 works of art have been added to museum archives through various methods including from donations to items found during excavations. Another 4,138 pieces have been brought to the museums from abroad in the last three years. Ten laboratories to restore and conserve nearly 3,200,000 works of art and archeological finds in the museums of Turkey have been established across the country. In 2007, the revenue obtained from museums and archeological sites was TL 72,100,000 while it rose to TL 280,200,000 in 2012, marking a 289 percent increase. The revenue obtained from the Muzekart (museum card), which has been giving card buyers access to 300 state-run museums and archeological sites as well as discounts for some private museums since 2008 -- was TL 20,671,808 in 2012 and the number of museum visitors increased by 49 percent from 2011 to 2012. The ministry has also been organizing summer activities such as children's festivities, workshops, theater shows, seminars, conferences, temporary exhibitions and many other activities for children to increase their awareness about the importance of museums and preserving the country's cultural heritage.