Hamams (Turkish Traditional Baths) of Istanbul
Cemberlitas Hamami in Sultanahmet Istanbul Turkey
Turkey’s Istanbul is home to several old bath houses that were a glorious and prominent feature of the city until they were dominated by the modern bathrooms sending the former into decline. However, there is no denying the fact that these traditional Turkish baths still continue to hold great significance for the tourists from the world over. Moreover, with the growth of several existing and upcoming spas, the traditional historic baths of Turkey are set in for a revival.
After passing through a period of neglect spanning decades, the finest hamams (or Turkish traditional baths) are being bought and restored by developers who are spending millions towards these baths.
Aydin Bulut, a manager of a famous hamam in Istanbul, Suleymaniye hamam, quoted about the bright future of the traditional hamams in Istanbul, saying, “There is a good future for hamams. People have realized they are a strong business and there is a lot of interest in buying or managing them.”
Suleymaniye hamam was built by Mimar Sinan in 1557. Sinan was the architect who built several other celebrated monuments of ancient Constantinople (now Istanbul).
Many of the famous traditional hamams are on sale at extremely high prices. Consider, for instance, the Cagaloglu Hamam, built in 1741, and once having esteemed visitors including Florence Nightingale and Kaiser Wilhelm II, is on sale for a whopping $16 million, state Remax Turkey, local estate agents.
Another Turkish hamam, Ayakapi Hamam, which was also made by Sinan, has been put on sale for a price of $3 million.
The recent interest in the development and reinstatement of various famous Turkish baths has been inspired by the success of Cagaloglu Hamam. In Cagaloglu Hamam, a scrub and a message comes at a cost of nearly $55. Seeing a great income potential in these hamams, several developers are quick to cash in on this opportunity by buying hamams even at enormous prices.
Nearly 26.3 millions visited Turkey in the year 2008 and the numbers are going to increase further as Turkey aims to rope in nearly 63 million tourists by the year 2023. For this, special programs are being launched to boost infrastructure and new vacation themes including health and wellness by the government.
These traditional hamams of Turkey hold special significance for the tourists coming from different corners of the world. With an increase in the number of tourists, the glory of hamams is going to touch new heights in the times to come.
An interesting fact is that the interest of foreigners in these hamams has ignited the interest of the Turks in the development of the long neglected hamams. “When I hear my foreign friends wanting to go to hamams and talking about their experiences I envy them. I think I ought to look into it again,” stated a 75-year-old resident scholar of the Turkish Cultural Foundation, Nurhan Atasoy, who enjoyed visiting hamams as a child with her mother.
The revival of these traditional baths of Turkey reflects an interest in the Ottoman period in Turkey. Turkey, in its early periods, showed an inclination towards modernity and break from the traditions.
Says an Ottoman expert in Istanbul’s Koc University, Nina Ergin, “Since the 1980s everything Ottoman has been in vogue. At first the revival was orientated to tourists, but then people started to realize the value of Ottoman artifacts and traditions and wanted to find out more about their own past.”
To cite an example, not just tourists but also local Turks can be seen puffing waterpipes now days, which once were completely ignored and replaced by cigarettes.
Quite similar seems to be the case with the hamams which has spurred significant proliferation of a number of spa and wellness centers in Turkey, states Ergin.
She added that “A lot of people are realizing that with hamams they have these really old, beautiful wellness centers already in their country, and are thinking ‘why don’t we go to them?.”
Although, no official data is yet available showing the increasing value of spa and hamam industry, however, the director of Spa Association of Turkey, Zeki Karagulle, maintained that there was, unmistakably, a significant rising trend in the number of visitors to the spa these days.
Made of thick stone walls, dome-shaped roofs and a long series of cupolas, the hamams provide a relaxing atmosphere to the visitors. One can enjoy the experience of relaxing in a hot and humid marble chamber that helps to soften the skin from within.
Dressed in traditional clothing called a pestemal, the attendant at the hamam scrubs the body with vigorous strokes using a hard cloth to remove the dead skin cells and make the body smooth and soft. After the scrubbing, the visitors are provided with refreshing water dousing and left to stretch on the hot marble stone.
After undergoing this rejuvenating experience at the hamams, the bliss on the faces of the visitors is quite clearly apparent. An entrepreneur by profession, Ergin Iren, states that time is ripe for the hamams becoming fashionable once again in Turkey. “I think hamams could be fashionable again within a very short period if they are nicely run. Tourists would come first, but then Turks would come too,” Iren affirmed.
Iren said that he had never visited any traditional hamam until he was shown an abandoned Turkish bath for sale in the old city of Istanbul. And when Iren’s friend thought of an idea to turn it into a disco, Iren felt really bad and read in detail about the hamams. Also, he felt like buying a hamam.
However, it was only in 2005 that Iren got a chance to purchase a bath built by Sinan during 1580s. Iren is hoping that in 2010, Kilic Ali Pasa hamam will be opened as an exclusive hamam where entry would be provided by a prior reservation only.
Although, the tradition of hamam was developed in Muslim countries, however, hamams also held an important place in the social life of the people as men and women spent a couple of hours relaxing and gossiping.
Cagaloglu Hamami in Istanbul Turkey
A hamam in Sultanahmet Istanbul Turkey
Cagaloglu Hamam in Istanbul Turkey
Suleymaniye Hamam in Sultanahmet Istanbul