Turkey’s general director of Cultural Heritage and Museums has called the country a “superpower in terms of cultural heritage”, and is seeking to better protect and maintain its vast number of cultural properties with the help of museums.

In terms of cultural property, Turkey has one of the largest collections in the world, with the total number of properties exceeding 101,000 and the number of archeological sites standing at about 15,000.

“We have lots of work to do, but we are hopeful," said Abdullah Kocapinar, speaking at the 25th Museum Rescue Excavations Symposium and the second International Museum Workshop. “We love our duty, and I believe we can do better things by using our opportunities and rare resources.”

Kocapinar said that Turkey and the world’s museums have contributed to this process of management of these heritage sites, with 210 museums joining excavations with the support of the Culture and Tourism Ministry in 2015 alone.

“Museums have undertaken the duty of protecting this cultural heritage that not only belongs to Turkey but also to the world,” he said. “As of today, 198 museums and open-air museums as well as 138 ancient sites, which are affiliated with the ministry, are hosting visitors.”