20120603_Ottoman_Baths_Ourts_Pasa_Didymoteixo_Panoramic

The Oruç Pasha Hamam (, from ), also known as the Bath of Whispers () or the Baths of Love is an Ottoman bath dating from around 1398-1399 near the banks of the

Erythropotamos The Erythropotamos (, meaning "red river") or Luda reka (, meaning "mad river") is a river in southern Bulgaria (Haskovo Province) and northeastern Greece ( Evros regional unit). Its Turkish name was ''Kızıldelisu''. Its source is near Mega Der ...

river, in

Didymoteicho Didymoteicho ( ) is a town located on the eastern edge of the Evros (regional unit), Evros regional unit of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, in northeastern Greece. It is the seat of the municipality of the same name. The town (pop. 8,681 in 2021 ...

, northern

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. Today it stands in a very poor state with plant life all over it, although restoration works are planned.

History

According to Dutch Ottomanologist historian Machiel Kiel, this hamam is among the oldest Ottoman hamams found within the borders of Greece, as it was built between 1398 and 1399, mere decades after Didymoteicho's conquest by Sultan

Murad I Murad I (; ), nicknamed ''Hüdavendigâr'' (from – meaning "Head of state, sovereign" in this context; 29 June 1326 – 15 June 1389) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1362 to 1389. He was the son of Orhan Gazi and Nilüfer Hatun. Mura ...

in 1361. The hamam was open until the early twentieth century, and is now the oldest surviving Ottoman bathhouse in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. An agreement was signed on March 14, 2011, between Greece,

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

and the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

for the promotion of this monument as well as a corresponding bath in

Svilengrad Svilengrad (; ; ) is a town in Haskovo Province, south-central Bulgaria, situated at the tripoint of Bulgaria, Turkey, and Greece. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Svilengrad Municipality. Geography Svilengrad is close to the ro ...

, in Bulgaria.

Architecture

The architecture type of the bath is very common among baths built in Greece, defined by a square-shaped domed hot room surrounded by smaller hot rooms. Its masonry is characterized by alternating brick and stone layers. Its cloister dome-vault is tiled with bricks and rests on Turkish triangles. The entrance to the bath from the north-west side leads to a dressing room measuring 5.10 x 5 m. In the bath there were two sections, the "lukewarm" and the "hot". According to the Ottoman traveller

Evliya Çelebi Dervish Mehmed Zillî (25 March 1611 – 1682), known as Evliya Çelebi (), was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman explorer who travelled through his home country during its cultural zenith as well as neighboring lands. He travelled for over 40 years, rec ...

, the masonry contained clay ducts so that the sounds from the "hot" room could be heard in the "lukewarm" room. This is the reason why the bath got the name meaning "Bath of Whispers". Due to its special acoustics, in this hamam lovers were able to express their passion while the

Sublime Porte The Sublime Porte, also known as the Ottoman Porte or High Porte ( or ''Babıali''; ), was a synecdoche or metaphor used to refer collectively to the central government of the Ottoman Empire in Istanbul. It is particularly referred to the buildi ...

could be informed of the secrets of exiled pashas.

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{Coord, 41, 20, 47.33, N, 26, 29, 27.49, E, type:landmark_region:GR, display=inline,title Ottoman baths in Greece Buildings and structures in Evros (regional unit) Ottoman architecture in Western Thrace 14th-century architecture in Greece 1390s establishments in the Ottoman Empire Didymoteicho 1398 establishments in Europe

History

Architecture

See also

References

Bibliography

External links