Medieval Baths of Bukhara in Bukhara
Bukhara Medieval Baths
The traditions of the eastern hammam baths originated in antiquity, in the 7th century, when the first bath houses appeared. The steam bath tradition came to Central Asia from the Arabs, and they, in turn, took over her among the Romans. The spread of hammams in Asia went in parallel with Islam. In the khan’s palaces, the baths "Hammam Hon" were necessarily built.
There were special courtiers serving these premises. But the baths should have been popularly accessible, because for Muslims, "purity is half the faith," as the prophet Muhammad himself said. Therefore, starting from the 10th century, bath rooms have become an integral part of urban planning. Baths were usually part of bazaar complexes or housed in public buildings located in the city center.
Baths were divided into city and quarter, as well as male and female. City-wide baths were built near bazaars, in the most crowded places. According to the records of the ancient historian Narshakhi dating back to the 10th century, several city-wide bathing establishments already existed in Bukhara. Visiting baths became a favorite form of relaxation for citizens. It is known that in the 19th century 16 hamams acted in the city.
The two oldest baths (XVI-XVII centuries) and the most famous baths in Bukhara - the Bozori Kord male bathhouse and the Hammami Kunjak female bathhouse are still operating today. Bozori Kord is located next to the Taki-Telpak-Furushon shopping dome, and Hammami Kunjak is very close to the Kalyan Minaret. These, like other similar rooms, are heated using boilers with boiling water located under the floor. Steam from the boiler is fed into the steam room through a special hole.
Bukhara baths in terms of technical structure represented undoubted progress in those days, but even today they function successfully, as they did five hundred years ago. In addition to relaxation and bathing, they provide various types of massage services, including therapeutic and relaxing. A visit to the Bukhara bath hammam will leave a lasting impression and will be useful for the soul and body.
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