Meerschaum — literally "sea foam" — is the soft white mineral that Eskişehir has produced for centuries and turned into pipes, beads, and figurines. The Meerschaum Museum, housed in a restored Ottoman building in Odunpazarı, displays both raw blocks and finished carvings, with explanations of how the material is mined, cured, and worked.
The collection ranges from straightforward pipes to extraordinarily detailed sculptural pieces: turbaned heads, miniature mosques, and animals. Several of the master carvers represented have shops in the surrounding streets where you can watch them at work and buy pieces direct. Admission is modest, and the visit pairs naturally with the typewriter and woodworking museums next door.