The Avanos Hair Museum,Turkey

People like to obsess over their hair. Its a given considering the romantic references in literature or the series of hair products lining the supermarket and the amount of time and money people spend on their crowning glory. But Chez Galip’s Gallery in Avanos takes this love for hair to a whole new level. The Avanos Hair Museum is a small cave containing hair samples, names and addresses from more than 16,000 women from all around the world with different colours, hanging loosely in varied lengths, this place definitely offers a strange sight. And is included in the Guinness Book of World Records

Located in an underground cave in Avanos (Cappadocia) Turkey, previously known only for its ceramics and pottery made from the mineral-rich mud of the Red River, the hair museum is garnering a lot of limelight for this small town these days.

The hair museum was founded by Chez Galip in 1979, a talented potter in Avanos. Although there are conflicting stories about where the idea came from, Galip’s own website states that the museum was simply meant as a promotion to increase enrollment in his pottery workshops. It seems much nicer to believe the legend: Chez’s dear friends was leaving him and he was very sad to see her go. So, the generous lady cut off a piece of her hair and gave it to him for remembrance. The potter being a true romantic decided to pin this lock of hair on the wall and started to share this story with his visitors. Touched by the tale, women started to leave a piece of their hair behind with him along with their names and contact details written on a card.

Since the first lock of hair went up in 1979, women of every description and from every corner of the world have willingly snipped off pieces of hair to leave in Galip’s cave. Each one carefully inscribes her name and address on a piece of paper before taping the hair and paper to the cave ceiling or wall. The surfaces of the cave are covered in dangling hairs of all colors and many different lengths.

The purpose of the addresses is to give Galip a way to contact his former visitors. Once a year, ten of the hair samples are chosen at random. The women to whom they once belonged are invited to come back to Galip’s studio for a pottery workshop and a stay in his traditional guest house – all free of charge.

Visitors to the cave are not required to leave a sample of hair, but Galip provides all of the materials necessary for those who wish to leave a little piece of themselves behind. What reportedly began as a promotional stunt has evolved into a weirdly compelling display – whether that display is of generosity, a great sense of humor or something else entirely is up to the viewer to decide.

Ladies! Get Lucky…

Twice a year, in June and December, the first customer who arrives here is invited to the Hair Museum to choose ten hair strands off the walls. And the lucky ten to whom these strands belong receive a week-long vacation in Cappadocia, where apart from holidaying they also get to attend free pottery workshops with none other than Chez himself.