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Hamam: Ottoman And Greek Tradition
E. POULAKOU-REBELAKOU, MD,a N. TOMBROS, MD,b G. KALANTZİS, MD,a C. TSİAMİS, MDb
aDepartment of History of Medicine, Athens University Medical School,bDepartment of History, Archaeology and Cultural Resources, University of Peloponnese, GREECE
The long-lasting presence of the Ottomans in Greece left its mark on the social, political and cultural life and a typical example of this influence is the Ottoman baths. The baths in the Ottoman era are classified into thermal baths (Kaplica) and public baths (Hamam). Information about the structure, set-up and function of these baths are available in manuscripts, religious archives and travellers’ texts. Hamam were improving the personal hygiene, but they were also the appropriate place for social contacts with cultural implications. In addition, hydrotherapy was considered to be beneficial in case of skin lesions, venereal diseases, gynaecological diseases and arthritic pain. Many public baths were constructed during the Ottoman dominion into the Greek lands and most of them continued their operation after the Greek Independence in 1830, as in the city of Patras.Keywords: Greece, hamam, hydrotherapy, hygiene, Ottoman EmpireTurkiye Klinikleri J Med Ethics 2006, 14:37-40
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