Aksaray Museum’s mummies draw visitors
AKSARAY

Over 20,000 people visited the mummies of 10 adults, 3 children and a cat, which were unearthed in various excavations in Aksaray and are now on display.
Aksaray Museum showcases 1,300 artifacts, including adult, child, and cat mummies excavated from Ihlara Valley and Çanlı Church. Visitors are greeted on the ground floor with artifacts spanning from the Neolithic Age to the Middle Ages. On the first floor, Roman, Byzantine, and Turkish-Islamic period artifacts are exhibited in chronological order.
Mustafa Doğan, Aksaray’s Director of Culture and Tourism, said that the museum features significant archaeological and ethnographic artifacts illuminating Cappadocia's 11,000-year history.
Doğan noted that Aksaray is part of Cappadocia, one of Türkiye’s and the world's key tourism destinations, stating: “Aksaray hosts around 1.5 million domestic and international tourists annually with its Ihlara Valley, caravanserais, underground cities, churches and museum. It is also among Central Anatolia's most excavated cities. Supported by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, excavations are ongoing at five archaeological sites in the city, and findings from these excavations are displayed at Aksaray Museum. The mummy section of our museum fascinates visitors. We exhibit 14 mummies here. Aksaray Museum stands out for its mummies, which captivate those who visit. Last year, more than 20,000 people visited our museum.”