Ii. Bayezid Türk Hamam Kültürü Müzesi

The II. Bayezid Turkish Bath Culture Museum is Turkey’s first bath museum. The museum, operating in the II. Bayezid Bath, which is under the ownership of Istanbul University, houses ethnographic and archaeological works. It is a private museum and was opened to visitors in 2015.

Official Turkish Museums

The II. Bayezid Bath, which is within the “Historic Areas of Istanbul” on the UNESCO World Heritage List, is part of the II. Bayezid Complex. The bath, thought to have been built in 1507-1508, is referred to as “Yeni Hamam” in historical documents. It was commissioned by Gülbahar Hatun, the wife of Sultan II. Bayezid, for public use. It has also been known as “Patrona Hamamı” due to accounts that Tellak Halil, nicknamed Patrona, who played a role in the events known in history as the Patrona Halil Rebellion, worked here.

Official Turkish Museums

Reflecting the plan characteristics of classical Ottoman baths, the building was designed as a double bath. The bath structures, separate for men and women, are adjacent to each other. In baths with the same plan characteristic, the furnace and water reservoirs were used jointly. Both baths have changing sections with large domes. To the north of the changing sections are the cool, warm and hot sections; at the back is the furnace unit extending all along the length. The entrances of the baths are on different sides.

Official Turkish Museums

The entrance to the museum is through the changing area of the women’s bath. This place is connected by a door to the changing area of the men’s bath. This large space is used as the museum’s temporary exhibition area. Display cases in which museum objects are exhibited have been placed in the sections of the bath. In the museum collection, bath items reflecting Turkish bath culture are presented to visitors, supported by visual materials. In addition, architectural elements from the Byzantine and Ottoman periods that were found in and around the bath are also exhibited in the museum.

Official Turkish Museums

The II. Bayezid Turkish Bath Culture Museum was created in order to keep bath and bathing culture alive and especially to ensure that this culture is passed on to future generations. In the museum, which is part of the current understanding of museology, the place and importance of water in daily life in Ottoman society and its change in the historical process are conveyed to the visitor through the museum collection. Since the day it opened, exhibitions have been organized from time to time in the museum, and meetings and seminars have been held. In addition, workshop activities for children and adults are also carried out.

Source: turkishmuseums.com. “Istanbul II. Beyazıd Turkish Bath Culture Museum.”

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