Avanos: It is a City of Wine and Pottery by the River

The history of Avanos, located in Cappadocia, the center of Anatolia, dates back to the Hittite Period. Its name was Venessa in ancient times. The name of Avanos, which was established on the edge of the Kızılırmak with a length of 1,355 km, comes from “Evani-öz, Even-öz”, which means the pottery town used in the Seljuk Period.

Avanos is famous for its pottery. The soft and oily structure of the soil taken from Avanos Mountains and Kızılırmak beds is suitable for shaping. For this reason, pottery making has survived from the Hittites to the present day and has become a tradition.

It is known that Turkey’s best quality grapes are grown in Avanos, Nevşehir. Volcanic tuffs around the region have made the soil very suitable for vineyards. Wines made from these grapes are also identified with the region. The goodness of the grapes grown here is also associated with the use of pigeon manure. However, it is not used much today because it is not applied in a balanced way because it burns the soil and the crop.

Zelve Valley and Pasabag or Monks Valley near Avanos can be visited to understand both the history and the geographical structure of the region.

19th century to emphasize the history of pottery in Avanos. Aşık Seyrani, one of the Turkish folk poets, wrote the following lines: “Blind people also know the way to Avanos, it is clear from the broken glass of the jug.” The jugs and pots carried by the caravans are spilled and broken on the roads. The shards weave the paths, so that these broken pots and pans take on another task and serve as a guide. In this way, even a blind person finds the way to Avanos without getting lost.