Avanos Hair Museum

The Avanos Hair Museum is an extraordinary private museum located in the center of Avanos district, Nevşehir Province, Türkiye, within the pottery workshop of Galip Körükçü, a local master potter. Designed in a cave structure carved from rock, the museum covers an area of approximately 500 square meters, reflecting the historical and cultural texture of Cappadocia. The museum attracts thousands of local and international visitors each year due to both its unique collection and its founding story.

Founding Story

The museum originated in 1979 when a French female tourist visiting Galip Körükçü’s pottery workshop left a lock of her hair as a souvenir before returning to her country. She attached the hair to the wall along with a note containing her name and address. This gesture gradually inspired other women tourists to leave their hair in a similar manner, evolving into a growing collection. As Körükçü himself noted, the idea that this collection would eventually become a museum was never imagined at first.

Development and Guinness World Record

Over time, thousands of women contributed hair locks to this unique collection, which entered the Guinness World Records in 1998. Today, the museum houses more than 16,000 hair samples attracting visitors from all around the world. The collection includes not only the hair strands but also photographs, names, and contact details left by some contributors alongside their hair.

Visitor Participation and Lottery Tradition

The museum continues to actively accept hair donations. Every June and December, Galip Körükçü randomly selects 10 donors from the collection and invites them for a week-long stay in Cappadocia, with all expenses covered. This tradition makes the museum an interactive and living cultural space. Due to the presence of personal information on the hair samples, photography inside the museum is prohibited.

Cultural and Touristic Significance

The Avanos Hair Museum stands out as a unique attraction for tourists visiting the Cappadocia region and embodies a narrative connected to Avanos’s traditional pottery art. Its founder, Galip Körükçü, has contributed to the preservation of Turkish folk arts not only through this museum but also by promoting pottery art at national and international fairs. His efforts have been recognized by institutions such as the Musée de l’Homme in France.

Place in Popular Culture

Among the hair samples on display are those belonging to well-known figures such as Selda Alkor, Nurgül Yeşilçay, and İpek Tuzcuoğlu, actresses from the popular Turkish TV series Asmalı Konak. This association has increased the museum’s media visibility and enhanced its appeal as a tourist destination.