8 August 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

500-year-old Ottoman bath revived after years of restoration

The 500-year-old Zeyrek Çinili Hammam, a masterpiece of Mimar Sinan and one of the most important examples of Ottoman Bath architecture in Istanbul’s Fatih neighborhood, is returning to its original function after 13 years of restoration process.

The building, commissioned to Mimar Sinan between 1540 and 1546 by Admiral of the Ottoman Navy Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha, is one of the earliest known baths of the artist.

The hammam deserves its name (çinili means covered with tiles) because of the magnificent Iznik tiles that were exclusively produced for the hammam in the 16th century and once covered the entire interior up to a certain level. No hammams of the time had such a rich and varied tile decoration program. However, they were removed, sold, and dispersed throughout the world in the second half of the nineteenth century.

The hammam has made a wonderful comeback not only as an architectural masterpiece, but also as a gateway to further research that will shed more light on our history thanks to the archaeological and historical finds obtained during its restoration.

The Byzantine cisterns, located in the entrance courtyard and used by Mimar Sinan as the foundation for Zeyrek Çinili Hamam, provide insight into the district’s pre-hammam period. The cistern, located beneath the women’s cold room, contains a variety of plaster-incised graffiti depicting galleys and bastard galleys.

The cistern also hosts a rotating program of site-specific art installations contributing to the cultural aspect of Zeyrek Çinili Hamam.

The hammam, with its cultural heritage brought back to life by The Marmara Group, will open its doors to its visitors on May 3 to offer a bathing experience in a historical structure. The hammam offers the opportunity for men and women to bathe in separate spaces.

The hammam, which combines Ottoman bath rituals with a modern touch and offers peace its guests, has also collaborated with leading names in the field of contemporary art and design.

Accessed from the entrance courtyard and used as foundation by Mimar Sinan for Zeyrek Çinili Hamam, the Byzantine cisterns.
Accessed from the entrance courtyard and used as foundation by Mimar Sinan for Zeyrek Çinili Hamam, the Byzantine cisterns.

The bath welcomes its guests with Ayça Telgeren’s installation, titled “Kocakarı,” located at the entrance of the bath complex. It also brings together the bathing experience and contemporary art with Elif Uras’ site-specific sculpture, titled “Sitting Woman,” in the hot room section where historical tiles are located.

Artist Theodore Psychoyos, who lives in Athens and is known for transforming idle marble blocks into functional sculptures, designed special marble foam massage and foot massage units for the hammam. The artist blended customs and contemporary materials in these works, which were created in Istanbul following a thorough investigation into Mimar Sinan’s architectural style and the history of the bath.

İznik Tiles.

Famous fashion designer Hussein Chalayan used his creative vision to interpret the architecture, customs, and rituals when creating a line of apparel and accessories for Zeyrek Çinili Hammam. Chalayan’s designs are influenced by the relationship of light and space, as well as the architectural details unique to the historic bath, and he has a passion for the art of wrapping towels around the body.

In addition to the on-site store in the hammam complex, this timeless collection will also be available online in May. Items like jackets and trousers worn by bath employees, as well as loincloths, towels, and clogs for guests to use, are included.

Delicacies specific to Ottoman cuisine, sherbets, and relaxing teas, which are an indispensable part of the Turkish bath, are presented in ceramics specifically designed for the Zeyrek Çinili Hammam. Collaborations with current artists and designers will also continue in the future.

Related Articles

Archaeologists in Iraq find 2,700-year-old wine press

24 October 2021

24 October 2021

Stone bas-reliefs carved into the walls of an irrigation canal some nine kilometers (5.5 miles) long, and the remains of...

Rare ivory plaques from First Temple Period were discovered in Jerusalem

8 September 2022

8 September 2022

An extraordinary find was made in Jerusalem: an assemblage of ivory plaques from the First Temple period, one of only...

2700-year-old Assyrian carvings found near Mashki Gate destroyed by Isis

20 October 2022

20 October 2022

The U.S. and Iraqi archaeologists have unearthed ancient rock carvings believed to be more than 2,700 years old in Iraq’s...

Mysterious and Life-size camel carvings have been found in Saudi Arabian desert

4 October 2023

4 October 2023

Archaeologists have found life-size camel carvings on a rock near the southern border of Saudi Arabia’s Nafud desert. The Neolithic...

New Research Uncovers Earliest Evidence of Humans in Rainforests, Pushing Timeline Back 150,000 Years

3 March 2025

3 March 2025

The rainforests, as important biomes on earth, were considered uninhabited until recent history. New findings now show that humans lived...

A Thousand-Year-Old Iron Age-old grave in Finland Is Ascribed to a Prominent Non-Binary Person

10 August 2021

10 August 2021

Archaeologists found a weapon grave in Finland’s Suontaka Vesitorninmäki in 1968. The remains discovered in the burial have been at...

Ancient Arabic temple art depicts early camel hybrids

29 January 2022

29 January 2022

Evidence of early camel hybrids of dromedary and Bactrian camels has been uncovered by archaeologists who were working to restore...

Archaeologists Uncovered a Tile Workshop From the First Century in Corsica

3 December 2024

3 December 2024

Archaeologists from the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP) excavations on the east coast of Corsica have uncovered...

New Study reveals how England’s ‘White Queen’ worshipped a disembowelled saint at the Chapel of St Erasmus

5 December 2022

5 December 2022

A new study reveals the story of how England’s “White Queen”, Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV, once worshipped at...

1419-year-old Islamic inscription found in Saudi Arabia

13 June 2022

13 June 2022

Saudi Arabia has announced a new archaeological discovery in Makkah. The Islamic inscription found dates back 1419 years to the...

Friendly Fire: Lost Battlefield from 1758 Found Near Fort Ligonier

16 July 2025

16 July 2025

A foggy evening in November 1758 nearly cost George Washington his life in a friendly fire skirmish between two groups...

In Jerusalem, a 2700-year-old private toilet from the First Temple era was unearthed

5 October 2021

5 October 2021

The Israel Antiquities Authority discovered a private toilet from the First Temple Period on the Armon Hanatziv promenade in Jerusalem,...

The “food” thousands of years ago may be the ancestor of a Turkish dessert

25 July 2021

25 July 2021

The rock paintings and kitchen materials found in the cave, which were discovered by a shepherd and emerged as a...

Sensational find in Ephesus: more than 1,400-year-old district discovered

29 October 2022

29 October 2022

During this year’s excavations at Ephesus in Turkey, archaeologists from the Austrian Academy of Sciences (AW) discovered an incredibly well-preserved...

Archaeologists Uncover Evidence of British Rule in Florida

29 March 2025

29 March 2025

A recent archaeological excavation in St. Augustine, Florida, has revealed a British redoubt dating back to 1781, offering valuable insight...