RouteGöreme

Avanos Pottery & the Kızılırmak River Valley

Visit Cappadocia's ancient pottery capital where artisans throw vessels from red river clay using techniques unchanged since Hittite times

1
Avanos Town Square
Follow the Kızılırmak River – its distinctive red mud that gives the water a rusty hue – into Avanos, the pottery capital since Hittite times
2
Chez Galip Hair Museum
Eccentric master potter Galip's cave museum displays locks of hair from 16,000 female visitors along with extraordinary handmade ceramics
3
Master Potter Demonstration
Watch a master cast a vessel from raw Kızılırmak clay on a kick wheel using techniques passed down through 3,000 years of Anatolian craftsmanship
4
Practical pottery workshop
Center and draw clay yourself — a uniquely challenging and rewarding crafting session with patient instruction from local crafting families
5
Dried Apricot Market Stall
Browse stalls selling Cappadocia's famous sun-dried apricots, mulberry molasses and grapes grown in the region's volcanic soil
6
Ağzıkarahan Caravanserai
A superbly preserved 13th-century Seljuk caravanserai on the ancient Silk Road where merchants and their camels once rested overnight