From haunting village of Zelve, we proceeded to the charming little town of Avanos, a few kilometres away.
Avanos is right on the banks of the Kizilirmak, or the Red River. The Kizilirmak (known as the Halys river in ancient times) is the longest river in Turkey and as is extremely critical for Avanos as it supplies the clay for pottery, which has been the town's main craft for centuries now. Avanos is now the sole center of pottery-making in all Cappadocia.
It is believed that pottery has been produced in the Avanos area for centuries and some of the techniques used today date back to the Hittite era to 2000 BC. The Hittites named the town "Zu Wanes" and it was renamed "Venessa" during the Byzantine Empire.
Avanos looked quite appealing to us as we entered the town...
Clean and quiet, Avanos had a unique small town feel to it...
And yes, Avanos was quite green...
Our stop here was a pottery workshop run by a family which has been in this business for centuries...
The pottery here was so colourful and vibrant (and expensive too!) and it felt as though we entered Ali Baba's cavern!
Known by the locals as işlik or çanakhane (similar to karkhaney in Hindi), these workshops are keeping the Hittite pottery traditions alive to this day. Pottery-making in Anatolia began in the Neolithic-era around the 8th millennium BC, at Çatalhöyük. However these techniques that we see today in Avanos date back to the Hittite era. The Assyrians, who came from Mesopotamia in the 3rd millennium BC, taught the art to the Hittites.
The earliest Hittite examples of pottery were shaped by the wrapping-rolling method and baked over an open fire. When the potter’s wheel was invented in the 3rd millennium BC, pots were shaped on it and the first primitive kilns also came into use.
The earliest Hittite examples of pottery were shaped by the wrapping-rolling method and baked over an open fire. When the potter’s wheel was invented in the 3rd millennium BC, pots were shaped on it and the first primitive kilns also came into use.
The pottery so made is is baked and then hand painted in intricate designs, then coated with quartz and fired again in a kiln to give them a lovely glaze, which machine-painted pottery can never give...
With the customary visit to the pottery workshop done, it was time for a Turkish lunch!
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