Aside from its pottery production, Avanos’ main claim to fame is the Hair Museum which is housed in the cave cellars under a shop selling ceramics.

The walls, ceilings, in fact all surfaces, are covered with hair samples with a card attached to each giving details of the donor – only women’s hair is collected. Some visitors not only leave a hair sample they also attach their photo and full contact details.

Twice a year, in June and December, the first customer who enters the shop in the morning is invited to choose ten ‘winners’ from the museum.

The ten women chosen receive an all expenses paid week in Cappadocia.

There is no charge to visit the museum and no compulsion to leave hair, but if do decide to add to the collection scissors, sellotape, pen and paper and drawing pins are provided – and you can cut off your own hair.

In the museum they have a report from a Turkish newspaper (you can see it pinned to the wall on the left of our picture) announcing that ABC News in the USA compiled a list of the fifteen weirdest museums in the world.

The Avanos Hair Museum came sixth! Definitely worth a visit if you find yourselves in Avanos.