With so many cheap flights to Turkey on offer these days, why not choose this magical country as your next holiday destination? Few places on the planet have such unparalleled history as this, the land bridge linking Europe and Asia, which armies have crisscrossed down the centuries and where great battles have been waged, a veritable palimpsest of civilisations rising and falling and each of them leaving its mark.
Turkey seems to be almost unfairly provided with great historic monuments and incomparable natural beauty in the form of stunning beaches, majestic mountains and dense forests, but the cultural attractions are equally accessible to visitors and provide a glimpse into the Turkish mentality. The Turks are the friendliest people you’re ever likely to meet. From the obligatory glass of tea that is pressed on you in any shop in the bazaar to the endless questions about where you come from, how many children you have and what you like most about Turkey, you can’t help loving them and the knack they have for making you feel completely at home.
Most visitors to Turkey will want to visit a Turkish bath at least once. The word ‘hamam’ derives from the Arabic word for hot – ham. The hamam is heated up by a big pot filled with hot water, with the vapour from the water being fed through tiny holes in the marble walls. In the West, the Turkish bath has for long seemed to personify Eastern decadence and even lasciviousness, with naked women drifting through clouds of steam being a particular favourite with artists, which probably reveals more about themselves than about their supposed object of study.
Bathing really took off in Turkey because the Prophet himself stated that cleanliness is half of faith, and this effectively made regular bathing obligatory. There are several unique traditions and rituals surrounding the Turkish hamam, with their roots in this philosophy of cleanliness being next to godliness. Many hamams were built using the remains of ancient Roman baths and often of temples too.
The hamam is not as hot as a sauna and has its own distinctive temperature regime. This is usually somewhere between 30 and 55 degrees and is perfect for people who either don’t like or cannot tolerate high temperatures. The entrances to a Turkish bath for men and women are always separate, although their areas are next to each other so that the common heat source and water supply can be used. In cases where only one bath is present women and men alternate their days.
Every Turkish man traditionally had to allow his wife to visit the hamam once a week, otherwise she could divorce him. Here, the ladies would eat sweets, drink coffee and discuss their husbands, and the hamam was effectively for many centuries Turkey’s answer to balls, travel and theatre in the West, and very often the highlight of a woman’s week.
Drop into the local hamam when you arrive in Turkey and experience opulence and style as never before, whilst at the same time getting a makeover that will leave you feeling reborn and ready to take on anything. It’s too easy to visit Turkey by Turkey visa application form.
Author: David Elliott is a freelance writer who loves to travel, especially in Europe and Turkey. He’s spent most of his adult life in a state of restless excitement but recently decided to settle in North London. He gets away whenever he can to immerse himself in foreign cultures and lap up the history of great cities.