What tradition did we learn about? We learned about pottery making in Turkey!

We entered a long, dark, huge cave in Avanos. We met a man who spoke excellent English. He gave us a private tour of his family-owned pottery business. First, he served us Turkish apple tea in glass cups. Then we watched his nephew give us a demonstration. He made a lidded pot on a pottery wheel he spun by kicking his foot.

Avonos is a village in Cappadocia. It was carved into the rocks next to the Kizilrmak River, or Red River, which is the longest river in Turkey. The water in the river is a reddish color from the red clay that is in this area.

The red clay in this area is good for pottery making! At one time, almost every single house in this city had a pottery wheel or workshop.