Remembering the Hamam

For sale: One Turkish hamam, Istanbul. Has been in continuous operation since 1741. Previous clients include Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and Florence Nightingale. Call Remax Turkey if the $16 million price tag doesn't make you sweat.

Another listing again for a hamam (Turkish steam bath) in Istanbul this time for a cool $3 million. It's smaller and built by the famous Ottoman architect Sinan. This hamam, unlike the previous one is currently being used not as a public bath but a place to store lumber. It's listing is indicative of a rebirth of the public bath in its country of origin.

Hamams and their exotic history are part of the draw for tourists looking for a special holiday destination. Reuters reports that Turkey had 26.3 million visitors in 2008 and aims to attract an annual 63 million by 2023 with a program to boost infrastructure and market new destinations and holiday themes, including health and wellness. The growing popularity is not only credited to spa-crazy tourists but a renewed interest in Ottoman life by the Turkish people. Nina Ergin, an Ottoman expert at Istanbul's Koc University told Reuters, “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?'"

The hamam tradition developed in Muslim countries because of Islam’s emphasis on cleanliness and washing, but they also fulfilled an important social function, with men and women spending hours inside gossiping and relaxing.

“For women especially, they were a place to get away from their families and if a husband couldn’t pay for a trip to the hamam at least once every two weeks it was a grounds for divorce,” Ergin said. “They were a very important space like a beauty salon or a spa today.”

With the invention of indoor plumbing, the popularity of the hamam deteriorated and many closed down.

Would it be safe to say a few marriages may have gone down the toilet along with them?

Photo courtesy rightee via Flickr.