Turkish Hamam – A Dip Into The Golden Past
Whether you are visiting Istanbul for one day or for few days, your visit is simply considered incomplete without experiencing a visit to the traditional Turkish baths at Istanbul.
If you mistook a Turkish bath for a spa, then, you need to take a second thought. This is because a Turkish bath is much more than an hour of scrubbing, sweating and messaging at any spa. It is much more romanticized and exquisite experience not to be missed by anyone visiting Istanbul. Men and women, young and old, rich and poor, all were free to visit the traditional hamams. The tradition of Turkish baths (commonly known as ‘hamam’) has been passed on from the Byzantines to the Ottomans and is alive even in the modern Istanbul.
Among some of the most prominent Turkish baths is the Cemberlitas Hamam. Located in the heart of Istanbul, this hamam is just at a walking distance from the Grand Bazaar and the mosque. This hamam was built in 16th century by Mimar Sinan who also designed the Suleymaniye Mosque of Istanbul.
Like all hamams, this hamam too has different section for women. A plastic sign at the entrance of the hamam reminds women to walk bare feet and wrap a towel around their waist. Unlike other traditional baths in Istanbul, Cemberlitas Hamam is open till midnight. In hamams, men message men and women message women in the separate sections.
Another bath worth visiting in Istanbul is the Cagaloglu Bath located just near the Underground Cistern in Cagaloglu. In 1741, Sultan Mahmut ordered for construction of this hamam so as to generate revenue for his library and the famous monument of the time, Hagia Sofia. This hamam happens to be the last hamams built in the city before Sultan Mustafa III gave orders for banning construction of any hamams in 1768 to meet the city’s increasing demand for wood and water.
Cagaloglu Bath has a pool with dressing rooms and a waterjet in the middle of the pool. The bath has a marble platform surrounded by cubicles meant for bathing. This bath is open from 8 am till 10 pm for women while men can visit this bath between 8 am to 11 pm on all days of the week.
A visit to a hamam will not just relax your body but will give you an aesthetic pleasure which cannot be explained in words but only experienced. The masseuse will ask you to lie flat on your stomach and will cover you with foamy soap from head to toe. Then, she will gently scrub your back and then begin the same procedure on your front. The whole procedure will leave you calm and stress free.
The traditional institution of the Turkish baths sheds light on various aspects of the Turkish life and brings together different dimensions of the society’s culture.
Istanbul’s baths make a comeback
For many of the seven million tourists who come to Istanbul every year, a trip to a hamam, or traditional Turkish bath, is a highlight of their visit - an authentic Ottoman-era experience.
Cagaloglu Hamami in Sultanahmet Istanbul Turkey
Dressed only in a skimpy cotton wrap and noisy wooden sandals, you sit in a drippingly humid steam room, under a perforated stone dome from which shafts of light stream down.
You are then led by beefy tellaks, traditional masseurs, to a heated marble slab in the middle of the chamber, and vigorously scrubbed and slapped around, before dousing yourself in cool water from the old brass taps set in the walls..
Perhaps borrowing some ideas from the bathing habits of the city's original Roman inhabitants, the Ottoman conquerors of Istanbul built some 150 hamams there between the 16th and 18th Centuries, and many more in other cities.
Some of the finest were built by Sinan, the most renowned architect of the Ottoman era.
For wealthy women of the period a trip to the hamam was part of the daily routine; they would spend hours there relaxing, chatting, and being groomed by their servants.
Ottoman revival
But over the past century the habit has died, and most of the original Ottoman hamams have fallen into disuse: some demolished, others converted into bars or store rooms.
Of the 48 hamams believed to have been built by Sinan, just a handful survive,, some of them in ruins.
There is a lot more interest in preserving our historical heritage now, and it is not restricted to more spectacular buildings like mosques. Hamams, and even Ottoman-era factories, are being renovated
Historian Nina Ergin
Only a few, like those in tourist areas - such as Cemberlitas, near the Spice Bazaar, and Cagaloglu, a stone's throw from Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque - have continued to thrive.
Cemberlitas was built by Sinan in 1584, as a commission from the wife of the Sultan. Cagaloglu was built in a spectacular neo-baroque style in 1741. A water crisis later in the 18th Century forced the Sultan to ban all further hamam construction.
"Most hamams were built to help fund the big foundations that were a feature of the Ottoma era," says historian Nina Ergin.
"They were rented out to fund mosques, hospitals and soup kitchens. But at the end of the 19th Century many of those foundations ran into financial difficulties, and offered rental periods of 200 to 300 years. That's how so many hamams have ended up in private hands."
But in recent years there has been something of an Ottoman revival among people living in Istanbul, and with it renewed interest in classic hamams.
Cemberlitas was substantially renovated in the 1980s; Cagaloglu is now on the market for $16m (£9.77m).
The growth of the spa industry around the world has also inspired some entrepreneurs to build new hamams, in shopping malls, hotels and health centres.
"It is very positive", says Ms Ergin. "There is a lot more interest in preserving our historical heritage now, and it is not restricted to more spectacular buildings like mosques. Hamams, and even Ottoman-era factories, are being renovated."
'Unique buy'
If you happen to have a spare $3m, plus perhaps the same again for restoration, you could buy yourself an authentic Sinan hamam, situated in the historic district of Aya Kapi close to the southern shore of the Golden Horn.
The hamam in Aya Kapi is in need of extensive renovation
It is little more than a pile of stones now; trees have taken root in its crumbling dome, and inside it is being used to store timber.
Estate agent Okan Aksudogan took me up a rickety ladder to see the magnificent brick structure inside the dome.
He believes that for the right kind of investor, at $3m the hamam is a bargain.
"He could probably get his money back, after renovation, in 10 to 15 years," he says. "But the asked price is maybe not the true value, it is just the value put on the business. But what you buy is something unique."
Planning regulations for historic buildings like this are very strict these days. Nina Ergin says that makes it difficult to find investors willing to put in the time and money needed to restore them.
But Mr Aksudogan hopes that either a cultural foundation, or a wealthy individual with a love of classical Ottoman architecture, can be persuaded to bring the Aya Kapi hamam back to its former glory.
(bbc.co.uk , Sunday, 25 October 2009)
Istanbul- A city of Many Treasures
Taksim
Having originated nearly 3000 years ago, Istanbul, the largest city of Turkey, used to be the capital city of Byzantium and later to the Ottoman Empire. The city stretches along the Bosphorus waterway and is considered to be the heart and soul of the country. It has a large number of bars and hotels jostling to grab attention in the busy markets of the city. Ranging from the small hotels to the luxury hotels, you can find a variety of hotels to choose from. And the most significant among the luxury chain of hotels is the famous Four Seasons Hotel which was once a prison lying near the Hagia Sophia. Close by, you will find Empress Zoe hotel that offers exquisite views from the tastefully decorated and fully furnished rooms.
For those of you, who want to enjoy their favorite pizzaz, go straight to Pera Palas Hotel. However, if you want a cheaper option of staying, you can go Bohemian Grand Hotel de Londres.
Istanbul- the city of many treasures--- Do you know why Istanbul is worth visiting? Simple, because it has many wonders located within its territory. Be it the magnificent mosques, luxury hotels, hot night-spots or many other spots providing nature at its best, it is certainly going to make you fall in love with its treasures.
Dining and drinking is favorite among the Turks. You can taste some of the tastiest and freshly baked pastries and vine-leaf rolls. For those who are pure vegetarians, there are numerous dishes to choose from. Night life can be experienced till the wee hours as almost all the drinking places are full to capacity.
However, if you want a short break from the hustle and bustle of the city’s fast life, catch a trip to the Bosphorus. You can munch your lunch at many fish restaurants near the Black Sea.
The best thing about Istanbul is that you can go to almost all the sight-seeing places on foot as they are all within a short walking distance. So, to discover and enjoy the beauty of the beautiful Sultanahmet Meydani Park, go strolling. Have a hot steaming cup of dark Turkish tea. You will see the dominating buildings of the Hagia Sophia church and the Suleymaniye Mosque vying to get attention.
Walk a while and you will come across the Topkapi Palace, once a political hub of the Ottoman Empire. The palace dates back to 1465 and is now converted to a museum having finest collection of the treasury.
If you haven’t visited the famous Grand Bazaar, your visit to Istanbul is considered incomplete. From jewelry to carpets to textiles, you will find almost all the things in this bazaar which is a favorite not only among the tourists but also among the locals. if you prefer walking, you will reach this bazaar from Sultanahmet in 20 minutes. However, you can also take a Zeytinburnu Tram.
There are a number of cheap eating places in the city including the Tarihi Sultanahmet Halk Koftecisi where you can taste hot kofte topped with buttery semolina dish. You can also enjoy vegetarian dishes at Kanaat near the Suleymaniye Mosque.
Egyptian Spice Bazaar is a hot spot for buying spices, nuts, dry fruits and other Turkish aphrodisiacs. If you are feeling tired, head straight towards the traditional Turkish hamam and relax yourself with a message and hot bath. You can enjoy this facility at Cemberlitas Hamam.
Five famous eating places—Enjoy aniseed-flavored drink in Boncuk at Nevizade Sokak 19, Beyoglu or simply try your favorite fish dishes and tahini ice cream at Balikci Sabahattin at Cankurtaran Sait Hasan Kuyu Sokak in Sultanahmet.
For having mouth watering milky sweet and baklava, you must not miss to dine at Saray in Beyoglu. If you like koftas or meatballs garnished with pistachios and egg kebab, step into Hamdi at Tahmis Cad, Kalcin Sok 17 in Eminonu which specializes in spicy meat dishes. For enjoying cheap kebabs along with grilled meat, go to Bambi at Siraselviler Caddesi, Taksim Square.
