This is the Yıldırım Beyazit Hamam, dating back to 1382. It has been well restored and I could not resist going to the bathes. Excellent facilities, and with a bath tub that I was told was from the time of its foundation. I am not certain, but it made my day sitting there in these ancient surroundings. I had the whole complex to myself and went from warm to cold and back again several times. Go there if you’re in the town.

On the picture: Inside the men’s section.
This hamam being a ‘double bathhouse’, with a distinct section for women (where male customers are not welcome), it is difficult to tell if the interior there is of the same high quality.

Correspondent: J.M.Criel, Antwerpen.