For centuries, hamams were central to Ottoman society, and although they have largely fallen out of use with the advent of running water, many hamams in Turkey are being restored to revive an ancient ritual bathing tradition.
A mainstay of old Turkish films, hammam scenes were highly entertaining, a free space where women would socialize, eat, drink and even dance.
Last year, Istanbul’s 500-year-old Zeyrek Cinili Hammam – built during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent by famed Ottoman architect Sinan – reopened after a painstaking 13-year restoration.
In addition to a functioning hammam, it also houses a museum that explains the history and Ottoman bathing ritual.
“The restoration somehow turned into an archaeological dig” that provided insight into what the hammam once looked like, museum manager Beril Gur Tanyeli told AFP.
“Around 3,000 missing tiles were found which helped solve the puzzle of why this hammam was called Cinili” – Turkish for “covered with tiles”.
The beautiful Iznik tiles that once lined the walls were produced exclusively for the hammam. No other bathhouse had such a rich interior, museum officials say.
Although most were damaged by fires or earthquakes, or sold to European antique dealers in the 19th century, some are still visible.
The restoration also uncovered several Byzantine cisterns beneath the hammam.
“It is believed that Sinan the Architect built the hammam on top of these reservoirs to use them as a foundation and as a water source,” Tanyeli said.
– From cleaning to party –
In ancient Rome, bathing culture was very important and it was “traditional for merchants to wash before entering the city, especially in baths at the entrance to the city,” archaeologist Gurol Tali told AFP.
During the Ottoman Empire, a golden age for bathhouses, the ritual symbolized both physical cleanliness and purity of the soul.
In Islam, a Muslim must wash before praying, in an act known as ablution.
Hammams were also a place for celebrating births and weddings.
“Baths were used not only for cleansing the body, but also for socializing, relaxation, healing and even celebrating important life events,” with special rituals for brides, soldiers and young boys before they were circumcised, Tali said.
Because households at the time did not have running water, hammams were an essential part of life until the 19th century. Census figures from 1638 show that there were 14,536 public and private baths in Istanbul, the museum said.
And that tradition continues to this day.
“You come here to get clean and leave beautiful,” said Zafer Akgul, who visited a hammam in the city with his son. He told AFP he often went there, especially during religious festivals or for a wedding.
“We don’t want this tradition to die.”
– ‘Passing on cultural heritage’ –
That’s where Istanbul’s ancient hammams can serve a greater purpose, Tali said.
“Restoring Istanbul’s historic baths and putting them into use can be the most effective way to transmit cultural heritage to future generations,” he said.
Another nearby bathhouse from the same era, the Bayezid II Hammam, underwent years of restoration and reopened as a museum in 2015.
Some historians believe that this was one of the largest hammams in the city at the time. According to some historians, this was where a notorious male lifeguard, or “tellak”, named Halil, plotted a rebellion in 1730 that overthrew Sultan Ahmed III.
For Manolya Gokgoz, who does publicity for Cemberlitas Hammam, another 16th-century bathhouse built by Sinan, the connection is more personal: Her grandmother worked there as a “natir”: a woman’s lifeguard.
“When I was two or three years old, I would go to the baths in the morning, wash myself and play on my own until the evening without being bored,” she told AFP.
For Gokgoz, the tradition lives on, albeit mainly among tourists, which is a shame for her.
“We used to go to the hammam with our mothers and grandmothers. Now, 70 percent of our customers are foreign tourists and 30 percent are locals,” she says.
These days, the full hammam experience – where swimmers can relax in warm, warm or cool pools in addition to extras such as massages or exfoliations – is expensive, with the basic service costing around $100.
Celebrities, both Turkish and international, often visit Cemberlitas, with the latest being Spanish actor Pedro Alonso – the character Berlin in the Netflix hit ‘Money Heist’ – visiting in September.
“Hamam is not a luxury, but a necessity,” Gokgoz said.
“Yes, it’s not like it used to be because we have hot water at our fingertips, but we have to keep this tradition alive.”
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