A bizarre museum in Turkey has been gaining a lot of interest. It houses various kinds of hair locks all of which has an interesting story behind.
Avanos, a small town in the Cappodocian in Turkey has a rich history of ceramics and pottery dating back thousands of years. At present, aside from pottery, Avanos is now attracting tourists because of its Hair Museum. A pottery center and guesthouse in Avalon have created a Hair Museum. Calling it a museum may be a bit of a stretch as its exhibits are numerous locks of hair, all from female visitors.
The story goes that the local potter, Chiz Gallip, was saying goodbye to his dear friend when he asked for something to remember her by. The girl friend cut off a piece of her hair and gave it to him as a reminder. Chiz put it in his shop and narrated the story to the visitors and tourists who passed through. Other women who liked the story left a piece of their own hair as well to Chiz, thus, the Hair Museum.
In 1979, the Hair Museum started when a selection was put on display. At present, the Hair Museum holds an estimated 16,000 samples by the museum's own account and is cited in the Guinness Book of World Records. Another reason for leaving a hair for the museum is the reward, reported, Atlas Obscura.
Twice a year, in June and December, the first customer who visits in Chez Galip's shop is invited down into the Hair Museum to select ten winners of hair locks off the walls. These ten receive an all-expenses-paid week-long vacation in Cappadocia. Winners are also given free pottery workshop as part of their reward.
While the pottery and guesthouse remain active, the Hair Museum fills up a section of the shop where the pottery wares are stored. Visitors stroll down the cave-like room with hair attached to every available surface. For those guests who wants to add to the collection, they are given pencils, paper, pins, and scissors.
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