Ephesus applies for UNESCO permanent list membership

IZMIR - Anadolu Agency

The officals expects that Ephesus will enter to UNESCO permanent list. DHA photo

A local municipality in İzmir has completed its preparations for a bid to include the world-famous site of Ephesus on UNESCO’s permanent world heritage list.

“Ephesus is one of the most visited places [in Turkey], and it deserves to be on the UNESCO list,” said Hüseyin Vefa Ülgür, the mayor of Selçuk, a district in southern İzmir. “Ephesus is one of the fascinating ruins of the world.”

The municipality said it was now waiting for the Culture and Tourism Ministry to submit an application to UNESCO.

According to a written statement from the İzmir Culture and Tourism Directorate, the number of domestic and foreign tourists that visited historical ruins and museums in İzmir totaled 1.2 million between Jan. 1 and June 30.

The ministry will make a pre-application in September and is planning to make a formal application in February 2014 for Ephesus to be included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Noting that they had worked on candidacy to UNESCO for five years, Ülgür said: “We believe that we are doing everything.