Chez Galip Avanos: Pottery & the Hair Museum
Chez Galip is one of Avanos's most famous pottery houses, a working studio where you can watch master potters shape the town's distinctive red clay on a foot-powered kick wheel — and try it yourself for free. It is also home to the curious Avanos Hair Museum, a Guinness World Record-holding cave hung with thousands of locks of hair. Below is how to visit, what to see and how to get there.
What is Chez Galip?
Avanos has been a pottery town for thousands of years, thanks to the iron-rich red clay drawn from the Kızılırmak (Red River) that runs through it. Chez Galip is a long-established family pottery house in the old part of town, where craftsmen still throw, dry, carve and fire pieces by hand using techniques passed down through generations. You can wander the workshop, watch a demonstration on the traditional kick wheel, and have a go at centring and pulling up a pot yourself — visitors are welcomed in and there is no charge to look around or try the wheel.
Pieces range from simple cups to the elaborate Hittite-style wine jugs and decorated plates Avanos is known for. There is no obligation to buy, but if you do want a souvenir the studio can arrange careful packing and international shipping, which is worth asking about before you fall for something large.
The Avanos Hair Museum
Beneath the pottery house lies Chez Galip's strangest attraction: the Avanos Hair Museum (Saç Müzesi). The cave rooms are covered floor to ceiling with locks of hair left by tens of thousands of female visitors, each pinned up with a small note giving a name and address. The collection has held a Guinness World Record for the most hair samples in one place, and twice a year the owner traditionally invites a visitor to pick a number of samples whose donors are then offered a free pottery workshop and stay.
The story goes that the tradition began decades ago when a close friend of the potter left Avanos and gave a lock of her hair as a keepsake; visitors began adding their own, and the cave grew into the wall-to-wall curiosity it is today. Entry to the Hair Museum is free, and it takes only a few minutes to see — but it is genuinely one of the most unusual stops in Cappadocia.
Where is Chez Galip and how do you get there?
Chez Galip is in Avanos, the riverside pottery town on the northern edge of central Cappadocia, roughly 10 km from Göreme and about 18 km from Ürgüp. It sits in the old town just up from the Kızılırmak river, a short walk from the main square.
- By car: the simplest option. From Göreme it is about 15 minutes; from Ürgüp or Uçhisar allow 20–25 minutes. There is parking near the old town.
- By dolmuş (minibus): regular minibuses link Avanos with Göreme, Ürgüp and Nevşehir through the day, though services thin out in the evening — check the last return before you set off.
- By taxi or private transfer: handy if you are short on time or combining Avanos with other stops. For a current door-to-door quote, use the live Cappadocia transfer price calculator rather than relying on a fixed figure.
Tips for visiting Chez Galip
- Allow 30–60 minutes: enough time to watch a demonstration, try the wheel and look round the Hair Museum; longer if you want a proper hands-on lesson.
- It is free to enter: both the pottery house and the Hair Museum are free; you only pay if you choose to buy a piece.
- Wear clothes you don't mind getting clay on if you plan to throw a pot — the wet red clay stains.
- Combine it with the rest of Avanos: the town's riverside cafés and other workshops make a relaxed half-day. Read more on the craft in our guide to the Avanos pottery tradition.
- Pair it on a wider route: Avanos sits naturally alongside Paşabağ, Devrent and the open-air museums — see our Cappadocia day trips and combinations guide for ideas.
Why Avanos pottery matters
Pottery in Avanos goes back to Hittite times, and the town remains one of the few places in Turkey where you can watch the whole process — from river clay to fired, glazed object — in a single working studio. Visiting Chez Galip is as much about meeting the craftspeople and understanding this living heritage as it is about the souvenir. If you are interested in the wider story of the region's churches, caves and population history, our guide to Cappadocia's history and churches gives helpful context.
Avanos is at its prettiest in spring and autumn, when the riverside is mild and the light is good for photos; summer middays get hot. For a fuller seasonal breakdown, see our guide to the best time to visit Cappadocia.
Frequently asked questions
Is Chez Galip free to visit?
Yes. There is no entrance fee for the pottery house or the Avanos Hair Museum, and you can watch a wheel-throwing demonstration and try the wheel yourself at no charge. You only pay if you decide to buy a piece of pottery.
What is the Avanos Hair Museum?
It is a cave beneath Chez Galip whose walls and ceilings are covered with thousands of locks of hair left by visitors over the years, each tagged with a name. It has held a Guinness World Record for the most hair samples collected in one place and is one of Cappadocia's quirkiest sights.
How far is Chez Galip from Göreme?
Avanos is roughly 10 km from Göreme — about 15 minutes by car or taxi, or a short dolmuş ride. It is easy to fit into a half-day that also takes in Paşabağ and Devrent valleys.
Can I make my own pottery there?
Yes — visitors are invited to sit at the traditional kick wheel and try shaping a pot under the potter's guidance, which is free. If you want a longer, structured lesson it is best to ask at the studio about a proper hands-on workshop.
