Hamam Omerye Baths

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1 Hamam Omerye Baths
2 History
3 What is Hamam?
4 Bathing ritual
5 The outer shell
6 See also

[edit] Hamam Omerye Baths

Hamam Omerye, Nicosia, Cyprus is now fully restored and operating again as a hammam.

[edit] History

Old Hamam Omeriye

Dating back to French rule and located in the heart of Nicosia's old town is Hamam Omerye - a working example of Cyprus' culture and diversity. The site's history dates back to the 14th century, when it stood as an Augustinian church of St. Mary. Stone-built, with small domes, it is chronologically placed at around the time of Frankish and Venetian rule, approximately the same time that the city acquired its Venetian Walls. In 1571, Mustapha Pasha converted the church into a mosque, believing that this particular spot is where the prophet Omer rested during his visit to Lefkosia. Most of the original building was destroyed by Ottoman artillery, although the door of the main entrance still belongs to the 14th century Lusignan building, whilst remains of a later Renaissance phase can be seen at the north-eastern side of the monument. In 2003, the [EU] funded a bi-communal UNDP/UNOPS project, "Partnership for the Future", in collaboration with Nicosia Municipality and Nicosia Master Plan.

[edit] What is Hamam?

Also known as Hammam Omeriye and otherwise known as a [Turkish bath] is the [Middle Eastern] variant of a steam bath. For centuries they have played a significant role in Middle-Eastern culture, serving as a venue for social gatherings, ritual cleansing, as well as architectural structures and institutions. Hamam combines the functonality and structural elements of its predecessors in Anatolia, the Roman thermae and Byzantine baths, with the Central [Asian] Turkish tradition of steam bathing and respect for water. Europeans learned about Hamam during their contact with the [Ottomans], hence the Turkish influence. The name however is derived from Arabic, basically meaning heat and in some dialects used simply to refer to bathroom or toilet.

[edit] Bathing ritual

Hot stone at Hamam Omeriye

A Hamam treatment is quite similar to that of a sauna and closely related to the bathing practices of the Romans. Firstly, it is essential to shower before entering; both for hygiene, as well as to better prepare the body. After which, bathers relax in what we call the warm room, heated by a continuous flow of hot, dry air, allowing you to perspire freely. Using a traditional Luffa exfoliating sponge, the body is washed, beginning with the feet, with lukewarm water and body wash. Wash off slowly and gently, using cold water. Lying on the hot stone in the hot room adds to the therapeutic affects of the Hamam and always encouraged. The stone's almost magical powers help to relieve stress, aches and pains. Bathers may move to the hot room, whilst repeating the process of splashing themselves with cold water, helping the body rejuvenate, invigorate and improving blood circulation. Repeat the pouring of cold water over your entire body a number of times. After performing a full body wash, bathers finally retire to the cooling room, where they can have a refreshing drink, cold water or herbal tea and enjoy a period of serenity and relaxation. This can be in turn followed by a scrub massage, or one of our many treatments. For best results, a number of health and spa products are now available to entice the senses and calm the mind.

[edit] The outer shell

Hamam Omerye

The Arabs have also built many of their own version of the Greek-Roman baths they encountered following their conquests of Alexandria. However, the Turkish hamam has a more improved style and functionality from these structures that emerged as annex buildings of mosques or as re-use of the remaining Roman baths. Hamams quickly evolved into institutions and eventually with the works of the Ottoman architect Sinan, into monumental structural complexes. A typical hamam consists of three interconnected basic rooms similar to its Roman ancestors: the sıcaklık (or hararet - caldarium) which is the hot room, the warm room (tepidarium) which is the intermediate room and the soğukluk which is the cool room.