Greek authorities closed the Acropolis for Tuesday afternoon to protect workers and tourists during .
Temperatures were expected to reach up to 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) in Athens.
The Greek Culture Ministry said the world-renowned site would be shut until 5:00 pm (1400 GMT) “for , owing to high temperatures.”
The Labor Ministry also instructed outdoor workers in various parts of the country to stop work between midday and 5:00 p.m, with temperatures nationwide expected to peak at 43 degrees Celsius.
Greece grapples with heat wave
The 2,500-year-old Acropolis draws tens of thousands of visitors daily, totaling 4.5 million visitors last year.
But the ancient temple rests on a rock overlooking Athens, offering visitors very little shade.
Officials had been forced to order similar shutdowns of the Acropolis in recent years due to .
The current heat wave is expected to last until Wednesday, with temperatures predicted to drop to a more tolerable 30 degrees by Thursday.
Although sweltering temperatures are not unusual in Greece during summer, experts have pointed to climate change as a contributing factor to days ago.
Edited by: Elizabeth Schumacher
The post Greece temporarily shuts Acropolis due to heat wave appeared first on Deutsche Welle.
