Turkey To Renew Its Museums, Restore Historical Buildings Abroad

ANKARA - Turkish Culture & Tourism Ministry started a series of large-scale works to renew its museums, historical sites and ruins in an effort to draw more visitors.
General Directorate of Cultural Heritage & Museums plans to launch projects to renew and restore several cultural and historical places, such as castles, churches, monasteries, madrasahs and ramparts in different provinces in almost every part of Turkey.
Ministry officials said several Turkish museums will also be renewed within the scope of these activities.
Archaeological and ethnographic museums in several provinces famous with their historical riches, such as Antalya, Aydin, Balikesir, Corum, Hatay, Konya and Kayseri, were included in ministry`s projects.
The ministry also plans to restore several Turkish historical buildings abroad. Restoration works of four mosques in Bulgaria, Macedonia and Georgia, as well as Ataturk`s House in Greece`s Thessaloniki, a tomb in Romania, Turkish monuments in Mongolia and a madrasa-Turkish bath complex in Georgia will be completed by 2010, ministry officials said.
(TÇ-MS)