PodcastIstanbul's Hagia Sophia 2019's most popular tourist destination in Turkey
Hagia Sophia was the most popular touristic site of 2019 with a total of 3,727,361 visitors, Turkey's Culture and Tourism Ministry said. Remodeled as a mosque under the Ottoman Empire, Hagia Sophia was converted into a museum in 1935. The second most visited touristic destination in 2019 was the Mevlana Museum in Rumi's birthplace, the central Anatolian province of Konya.
Duvar English
Hagia Sophia was the most popular touristic site of 2019 with a total of 3,727,361 visitors, Turkey's Culture and Tourism Ministry said.
The ministry added that the total number of visitors to all museum and archaeological sites has increased by 7 million, reaching 35,048,417 visitors.
Remodeled as a mosque under the Ottoman Empire and converted into a museum in 1935, the ancient structure was the most popular destination in Turkey in 2019.
The second most visited touristic destination in 2019 was the Mevlana Museum in Rumi's birthplace, the central Anatolian province of Konya.
The museum welcomed a total of 3,464,155 visitors, putting the museum at second place on the list.
A UNESCO World Heritage site, the Denizli/Pamukkale Hierapolis was the third most popular touristic destination, receiving over 2,557,868 visitors.
Built by Mehmet the Conqueror, the home of Ottoman sultans Topkapı Palace was next in the popularity ranking, coming in fourth with 2,364,946 visitors.