The Hammam you will go to is located on Cemberlitas Square on Divanyolu Street situated in the midst of some of Istanbul’s greatest monuments. It is next to the Vezirhan monument erected by Constantine I (324 – 327). The Köprülü Mahmud Pasha complex with its mosque, school and tombs are directly opposite the bath and at its sides are the Vezir Han and the old university building. Also in the near vicinity of the bath are the tomb of Sultan Mahmut II and its treasury, the Köprülü Library, the Atik Pasa Mosque and school and the tomb of Ali Baba.
The attendants will be provided with a peshtemal (a thin cotton towel to wrap yourself) and a regular towel to use after bathing. It is okay to bring your bathing suit or bikinis. The duration of bath glove application and the traditional soap massage is 30 minutes but you are allowed to spend as much time in the Turkish bath as you wish.
The bath was established by Nurbanu Sultan, wife of Selim II and mother of Murat III, for the purpose of bringing in revenue to support the Valide-i Atik Charity Complex in Toptasi, Üsküdar. According to the Tuhfet’ül-mi’mârin, the bath is one of the structures built by the architect Sinan, in 1584.
Female and male sections are separated in traditional hammams. Yet the bathing rituals are similar between the sexes. The hammam experience is about leaving yourself in the hands of your tellak or natir, the male or female attendants respectively, who guide visitors through the progressively warmer sections of the bath.
