The famous architect, Mimar Sinan, constructed Cemberlitas Hamam in 1584. The hamam is still heated in the traditional manner by a furnace that burns wood chips, creating steam that warms the entire building. The Çemberlitaş Hamam has undergone two restorations in recent decades and is particularly evocative. 

The Cemberlitaş Hamam was one of the several bathhouses that offered the citizens of Istanbul a venue for socializing as well as ritual cleansing before prayer. It is a conventional double bath with separate areas for men and women that are symmetrically arranged parallel to one another within a nearly square construction block. 

Inside of the Cemberlitas Hamam

Both male and female visitors enjoyed Turkish bath experiences in separate facilities. Visitors first enter the dressing room, built over a square and topped by a dome. Light enters through the lantern-covered oculus in the dome’s center, it is a beautiful thing to see! A fountain in the midst of the space created a relaxing atmosphere with its soothing water burbling and cooling effects.

The traditional use of this area was as a lounge where bathers may relax and socialize after their real baths while consuming coffee, sherbet, and other treats. It also served as a location for bathers to undress and keep their possessions. Particularly ladies traveling in groups would pack a picnic basket with treats like dolma—stuffed grape leaves—and börek—savory pastries. Bathers started by taking off their clothes and wrapping themselves with a flat-woven towel which is called peştamal.

Bathers entered the warm room, covering themselves in peştamal. This room features a door leading to the latrines that were linked to both sides of the square construction block, three small, domed bays lined up perpendicularly, and multiple basins for washing. The hot room, the center of the bathhouse, is accessible through another door. 

The hot room has four secondary rooms in addition to one core space with twelve sides. Mimar Sinan inscribed four niches into the four corner spaces to address the architectural issue of shifting from a square ground plan to a domed superstructure while producing a coherent, concentrated space. With their three basins, these dome-capped recesses may each accommodate bathers who need more seclusion. They are divided by dividing walls that are a little higher than human height. The backdrop for the twelve columns supporting the central dome is formed by two shallow niches on either side of each of the four halvet entrances. These twelve lozenge-capitalized columns are positioned evenly apart from and connected to the external walls to further the room's sense of unity. 

An elevated marble slab (göbektaşı) in the middle of the hot room provides bathers with a spot to lay down and wait for the skin's pores to open in the humid air. Bathers are prepared for a scrub after about 30 minutes. The Cemberlitaş Hamami still features a stunning, geometric inlay in black on white marble and light enters the room through the tiny holes that have been made in the dome above and are sealed with glass cups. 

Ultimate Turkish Bath Experience

This amazing experience is waiting for you to enjoy. You can have three different options for your visit. All of these options are discounted with your Istanbul Tourist Pass®. 

Entrance to Hamam: Self-service where you bathe yourself. If it is your first time in a hammam, self-service is not the best way to get the most out of the experience.

Entrance with Foam & Scrub Bathing: Traditional Style, which is more suitable for first-timers. Everything you need for the bath is provided, and you are assigned a person who washes you with foam and scrubs your skin.

Entrance with Foam & Scrub Bathing and Oil Massage: This is the real Turkish bath experience and you will be all cleaned and relaxed!

Choose the experience you wish to get, and reserve your spot now!