he
bather enters the dry heat of a sweating area.
Afterwards, the bather begins to perspire
heavily because of a wet steam.The skin is then
washed with soap and warm water and the muscles
massaged. After being scoured and washed, the
bather's body temperature returns to normal from
swimming in cold water. Closely interweaved with
everyday life, as well as the Muslim mandates
for cleanliness and respect for the varied
functions of water, the hamam will probably
survive modernity with many other things in
Western Asia. The "pestemal" (pesh-te-mahl), a
large towel fringed at both ends and wrapped
around the torso, from below the armpits to
about mid-thigh , as the woman made her way to
the "kurna" or marble basin. The pestemal would
be striped or checked, a colored mixture of silk
and cotton, or pure cotton, or even pure silk.
The "tas", or bowl for pouring water over the
body, was always of metal. Weather silver, gilt
or tinned copper, or of brass, the tas always
had grooved and inlaid ornamentation.
One finds a soap case of metal, usually
copper, with a handle on top like a handbag, and
perforated at the bottom to allow water to run
out. Not only soap goes into such a case, but
also a coarse mitt for scouring down the skin, a
webbing of date-palm or other fibers for
lathering on the soap, and combs both fine and
broad-toothed made of horn or ivory.
The "kese" (keh-seh), that rough cloth mitt
carried in the soap case, not only scoured the
dirt out of the pores, but served to deliver a
bracing massage. The soaping web, on the other
hand, was specially woven out of hair or plant
fibers.
Cagaloglu Hamam
Located in Cagaloglu on the right side of the
Yerebatan (Basilica cistern) Street , these
Baths were built by Sultan Mahmud I in 1741 to
provide revenue for Hagia Sophia Mosque. The
architect is unknown.
Cagaloglu hamam is a double hamam with
section for both men and women. It was unique in
its emloyment of Baroque and Classic Ottoman
architectural motifs and was the last of the
great hamams to be built before their
construction was forbidden by Sultan Mustafa III
in 17+9, owing to the increasing needs for water
and wood in Istanbul.
Cemberlitas Hamam
The Cemberlitas Hamam is located on the
Divanyolu near the Cemberlitas (Banded Column).
Ot was built by Sultan Murat III’s mother,
Nurbanu Sultan in 1584 to provide a source of
revenue for the Atik Valide Mosque Complex in
Uskudar. Its architect was Sinan.
It was originally built as a double hamam
both men and women seperate sections. But during
the reign of Sultan Abdulaziz (1841-1824) part
of the women’s section was destroyed to allow
for the widening nearby road. As a result only
the men’s section is in use today.
Eski Hamam
Located in the entrance to Darý Street, where
Dogancilar Street and Uncular street intersect
in Uskudar, is the Eski Hamam. While the
architect and the year in which was built are
unknown, certain evidence points to it having
built int the 15th century.
Also known as the Sifa (Cure) Hamam, it has
seperate sections for men and women. Both
sections are in use today. Although the oldest
hamam in Uskudar, it has still managed to retain
its original appearance.
Galatasaray Hamam
The Galatasaray Hamam is located in
Galatasaray at the junction of Turnacibasi and
Capanoglu streets. It was built in 1715 as a
public Bath in line with classical Turkish hamam
architectural design.
It underwnet renovation in 1965 and while its
main structure remained intact, its
architectural details and interior portions were
redesignated and as such it has lost some of its
historic attraction.
Functionally, though, a women’s section was
added during the renovations in 1965 and the
hamam is still operating. Well maintained up to
the present day, it caters for both locals and
foreign tourists.
