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| Turkish Bath |
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| excursIon detaIls |
If you have ever wondered what the secret is of the clear healthy,mediterranean skin its here, the Turkish bath ( hamam). As you lay on the hot slabs a gentle scrub will revitalise your complexion. Throughly rcommended at the beginning of your holiday. An excellent destresser and did aid to a more perfect, even than. |
| INCLUDES |
| Transfer,Sauna,Soap Massage |
One of the truly unmissable experiences of a trip to
Turkey is a visit to the hamam. Like the harem, this Roman and
Byzantine tradition was adopted and then perfected by the Selcuk
Turks, for whom the public bath took on an important role. It was
not merely a place where believers could fulfill the Islamic precept
of cleanliness. It was a place in which to mingle, socialize and
gossip. Women would proceed from their harem to the hamam with great
ceremony, accompanied by servants heavily-laden with delicacies to
tide the ladies over the hours they would spend lounging in the
steam. The young women used this opportunity to show off their
ornately embroidered towels and ivory inlaid slippers, not to
mention their youthful figures, while older women would spot
potential wives for their sons. Men would discuss the latest court
scandal or talk business and politics. Contrary to popular ideas,
hamams have always been either permanently designated for one of the
sexes, or have a separate schedule for men and women.
Traditionally, a whole range of paraphernalia is
associated with the hamam. The pestamal, a colourful,
checked cloth which is wrapped around the waist by men is still in
use. Takunyalar, or wooden clogs, often inlaid or carved,
have generally been replaced by plastic flip-flops. Soap, shampoo
and other toiletries were carried in hand crafted copper or even
gold plated tarak kutusu, literally comb boxes, and a
copper tas was used to pour water over the bather. While
some of these are no longer used, they are still widely available to
buy, and are guaranteed to add to the pleasure of the hamam
experience.
Many hamams were built during the Ottoman era,
including forty by Sinan himself. Externally, they have a
distinctive domed profile, with bottle glass directing beams of
light inwards. The first room encountered is the camekan, a
square court with a fountain surrounded by small individual changing
cubicles. This leads into a small sogukluk, or cooling off
section, opening into the hararet, the hot and steamy,
marble clad baths.
A raised marble platform graces the centre of
the hararet. Known as the gobek tasi, or navel stone, it is
positioned above the wood or coal furnaces which heat the hamam. The
bather lies here for a vigorous massage or a kese, which
involves the removal with a rough cloth glove of a lifetimes worth
of dead skin. On leaving the hamam, you may recover with a cold
drink in the camekan or simply stretch out on the reclining couch in
your private changing cubicle.
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