Nighttime museum visits bring new life to ancient city of Olympos
ANTALYA
Visitor activity in Olympos, one of the most important cities of the Lycian civilization located in the Mediterranean province of Antalya's Kumluca district, increased with the nighttime museum initiative launched by the Culture and Tourism Ministry.
As part of the ministry’s Heritage for the Future Project, excavations continue throughout the year in the city, where artifacts shedding light on the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods are being unearthed. At the same time, landscaping, visitor route planning and lighting work are underway.
Olympos, one of the ancient cities where nighttime museum practices have been implemented, has begun to welcome visitors in the evening hours thanks to the new lighting installations.
Since daytime temperatures are quite high, tourists have increasingly started to visit Olympos after sunset. Located within the Beydağları Coastal National Park, Olympos continues to captivate visitors with its deep-rooted history, ruins, unique natural setting and beach. With the new practice, the site has become even livelier in the evenings.
Associate Professor Gökçen Kurtuluş Öztaşkın from Pamukkale University, head of the Olympos excavations, said that thanks to the nighttime museum program, the ancient city can now be visited until 9 p.m.
Öztaşkın noted that starting next year, the site will remain open until midnight. “Visiting the ancient city when it’s dark and cool is much more comfortable,” she said. “We observe that people are more engaged and look around more attentively in the evening hours.”
Öztaşkın said visitors to Olympos have the opportunity to see significant monuments such as churches, the episcopal palace, the monument tomb of Lykiarch Marcus Aurelius Archepolis, the mosaic building and the Antimachos sarcophagus. She added that those who walk through the site end their journey with a view of the deep blue sea, which enhances the city’s appeal.
