Avanos is a small town of Cappadocian artisans known for its ancient pottery traditions and its proximity to one of Cappadocia's most famous Cappadocia's most famous landmarks, the rock city of Zelwe.
The old town of Avanos is located eighteen kilometres northeast of Nevşehir near the Kızıl-Irmak (Red River) valley, the longest river in Turkey (1151 kilometres). The name of the river is due to the colour of the water in this stretch of its course. This due to the fact that its bed is rich in iron ore and red clay, which is used to make all of Avanos's pottery. The Hittites called this river Marassantia was the border of their empire, and in Hellenistic times it was called Chalis. In Hittite times the city itself was born, which was then a frontier outpost and a major trading centre, famous for its potters.
Due to the loose clay soil, there are no cave churches or stone mushrooms in Avanos. But it occupies a favourable strategic position in the central part of Cappadocia - Zelve (6 kilometres), Çavuşin (6 kilometres) and, if desired, can be reached on foot to Göreme (10 km) and to Ozkonak by local bus (25 km).
The town of Avanos has a rather ancient history: the human settlements discovered in the neighbourhood date back to the Bronze Age. Avanos dates back to the Bronze Age, as evidenced by the excavations of the Toprakla, an ancient burial ground. Avanos is famous for its clay products, made here in the 3rd millennium BC, even many centuries later.
Although the numerous Greek, Ottoman and Armenian buildings of the Avanos and the picturesque cosy streets of the old quarters are interesting enough in their own right, the real local attraction of this city is the pottery pottery made by master potters. The local craftsmen make beautiful pottery, which is decorated with with geometric designs and floral ornaments. This ornamentation can also be found found in the carpets traditionally made in Avanos. Carpets are produced not only in workshops, but also by some local women who weave them at home using woollen and silk threads. The artisans have incredible patience in pulling, knotting and then weaving these threads and then weave them together on homemade wooden looms.
These locally made products can often be seen on the streets of the city against the backdrop of houses of characteristic Muslim architecture, old tuff-block buildings with their facades often having tufa blocks, often with open loggias on their facades. In the main In the main square of Avanos stands a monument depicting a potter, next to whom women are working at a loom. Every year, the town holds a festival that honours the town's craftsmen and exhibit the best examples of pottery. At the festival You can hear folklore songs and music, and see dances in traditional costumes.
Scattered through the colourful old quarters are a large number of tiny shops where you can buy crockery made with techniques used as far back as fifteen centuries ago. It should be noted that the craftsmen work in natural and the dishes are dried only in the open air. After a few days of drying in the sun, the ware is fired in a kiln for ten hours at a temperature of approx. 950-1200 °C.
This town has been mentioned in recent years, mainly due to the unique Hair Museum, created by Ces Galip, a skilful Turkish potter, which is widely regarded as one of the strangest museums in the world. Underneath Galip's workshop is an unusual exhibition consisting of the hair of some sixteen thousand girls and women. The ceiling, walls and other surfaces, except the floor, are covered with locks of of hair previously belonging to various women and girls who've been to this place, and bits of paper with their addresses on them. А began some thirty years ago under these circumstances. A friend Galip was leaving Avanos, and he was very much distressed at parting with her. In order to make him she cut off a lock of his hair and left it for him to remember her by. Over years, Potter has amassed a large collection of locks and addresses of women from all over the the world.
Twice a year, in December and June, the first visitor to this shop, is invited downstairs to choose the ten so-called "winners of the wall". These lucky ladies receive a week-long all-expenses-paid tour of of Cappadocia, as well as the right to try to make their own something of their own in Cesa Galip's workshop. In this way, the potter thanks the women who help him create this stunning museum, which is visited daily by new tourists. Entrance to the museum is free. There's no obligation for women to donate their hair, but should any of them wish to do so, Galip always has a pair of scissors, pen, paper, tape and bobby pins on hand at all times.
On the north side, a long cliff overhangs the centre of Avanos, above which is a large terrace occupied by fields and a cemetery. To find to find your way out of the city, but it's worth it, because it's the most spectacular spot on Avanos. The scenery is especially beautiful at sunset. The view southwards, across the mountains on the other side of the huge Kyzyl-Irmak valley is certainly worth the climb.
