Chios Mastic Museum
The Chios Mastic Museum is located in Southern Chios, in the region of the Mastichochoria. Surrounded by Chios Mastiha trees, in complete harmony with the environment, the Chios Mastic Museum is open and ready to welcome visitors of Chios. It is dedicated to Chios Mastiha (or gum mastic), the unique product that has shaped the natural and human environment of the Mastichochoria area of southern Chios, as well as the productive and economic history of the island. The importance of the mastiha cultivation was recently recognized by UNESCO, with its inscription to the list of intangible heritage.
The permanent exhibition is centred on the gum mastic of Chios as a unique product. It aims to chart the technique of the gum mastic tree's traditional cultivation, and to present the product's history, the evolution of the pre-industrial and industrial technology for the production, exploitation and marketing of gum mastic, as well as to showcase its different uses. A variety of media are used in the exhibition, such as multimedia applications, films and machines from the first gum mastic factory. The last section of the exhibition is outdoors, where the visitor can see the gum mastic trees and understand the cultivation process.