Hammams were central to Ottoman society for centuries before the advent of running water led to them falling out of use in Turkey. Now, many are being restored to revive an ancient bathing tradition.
Many older Turkish films feature entertaining hammam scenes featuring women who not only bathe but socialise, eat, drink and even dance in the bathhouses.
In 2023, the 500-year-old Zeyrek Cinili Hamam in Istanbul – built during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent by the celebrated Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan – reopened to the public after a painstaking 13-year restoration.
As well as a functioning hammam, the complex houses a museum that explains its history and the Ottoman ritual of bathing.
“The restoration somehow turned into an archaeological dig” that gave insight into how the hammam once looked, museum manager Beril Gur Tanyeli says.
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