‘Hair Museum’ exhibits thousands of hairs

NEVŞEHİR – Anadolu Agency

A pottery master in the Central Anatolian province of Nevşehir’s Avanos district, who had cut a lock of hair of a French woman in 1979 and hung it on a wall as a memory, has converted his workplace into a hair museum, as people visiting it continued a tradition of cutting locks of their hair over the years.

The hair museum, which entered the Guinness Book of Records in 1998, now exhibits thousands of people’s hairs.

“I never thought the place would turn into a museum,” said Galip Körükçü, telling the 41-year-long story of the museum.

“In 1979, I met a French woman who had beautiful hair. She was returning to her country and I wanted a piece of her hair. She cut it, wrote her name and address on a paper and hung it on a wall,” he said.

Days later, another woman who visited the workplace, saw the hair on the wall, liked the idea and did the same, so it quickly became a tradition among all visitors, according to Körükçü.

Taking photos is prohibited inside for personal security as there are names and the addresses written on papers tied to the hairs.

The pottery master, who now takes 3 Turkish Liras as entrance fee, makes a “hair lottery” ever year. He conducts a draw to selected some names of the hair owners and awards 10 women a one-week-long Cappadocia vacation.

Fatma Fatolanezhad, an Iranian tourist, who visited the museum, said she also left a lock of hair.

“I saw the place on internet and came. I cut my hair too. Think, my children may come here in 10 years’ time and see my hair. It is fantastic.”