Avanos

A millennia-old pottery town on the Kızılırmak River, famous for red clay since the Hittite era. Visitors can try throwing clay at its workshops, a handicraft stop on the Red Tour.

Avanos is a small town on the Kızılırmak River, Turkey's longest river, whose name means 'Red River.' It lies in northern Cappadocia. Since the Hittite era, locals have made pottery from the riverside red clay, and today it remains the most important ceramics center in Anatolia, with family pottery workshops passed down for generations. A visit typically includes watching craftsmen throw clay on traditional kick wheels and touring the painting workshops, which produce Hittite-style red pottery and Iznik-style blue-and-white ceramic plates. For a fee (about €10-15), you can throw a pot yourself, and finished pieces can be fired and shipped to you. The Chez Galip workshop in the old town is famous for its 'hair museum,' which displays hair left by tens of thousands of female visitors. The Güray Ceramics Museum is set in an underground cave and holds pottery from the Hittite to Ottoman periods. The wooden suspension bridge, the old stone bridge and the riverside cafés are good for a stroll. The town has several Turkish baths and some of Cappadocia's most authentic local restaurants. Try the Testi Kebabı, a clay-pot stew whose pot is cracked open at the table. Nearly every Red Tour stops here for 1-1.5 hours. To go independently, take a minibus from Göreme (about 20 minutes, roughly one an hour), or rent a bicycle and ride along the river. Note that workshop visits usually end with a sales pitch. Large ceramics are fragile, so ask the shop to arrange international packing and shipping. Prices are negotiable. Fridays are market day, and the old town's roads get congested.

Avanos

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