Istanbul - What´s a hamam

What´s a hamam

What´s a hamam

The haman is an Ottoman bath ceremony which remained untill today as fixed part of the cultral behaviour in Turkey. Istanbul has a lot of ancient hamams , the most known being : the Cemberlitas Hamam, the Eski Hamam, the Galatasaray Hamam and the Cagaloglu Hamam.

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The classical hamam has three areas: the dressing area ( Turkish camekan) , the cold area (Turkish sogukluk) and the warm area ( Turkish sicaklik).The hamam is a steam bath which is built from marble and includes a central mostly round lying area. A pestemal is used to cover once genital areas and the body up to the tighs. Originally wooden shoes so-called nalins were put on. Of course there is always an women and men area. The ceremony starts a with a washing with cold and warm water. This step is followed by a peeling by using a special glove made of goat hair and silk. A relaxing period allows the skin to become smooth, afterwards death danders are simply cleaned off. Another relaxing phase in a cooler room follows. After the ceremony you must put on some rose water to complete the cleaning. It is said that regular visit of a hamam reduces skin ageing and contributes to muscle relaxation. Historically the hamam is an enhancement of the Roman Bath.

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What´s a hamam by istanbul turkey.co.uk