Cemberlitas Hamami in Istanbul: The Biographical Memoir of a Turkish Bath

摘要

Cemberlitas Hamami in Istanbul traces the history of an Ottoman public bath (ha-mam) across nearly five centuries, beginning with its construction in 1583 and continuing into the present. In this innovative and wide-ranging work, Nina Macar-aig addresses not only this specific building still in operation today but also topics as diverse as public bath construction from the Roman period onward, the function and use of public baths in the Ottoman Empire, and social life in Istanbul over the centuries. The last of these topics is treated throughout the book in chronological fashion, from the social functions of urban charitable foundations in the early modern period to eighteenth-century social unrest, nineteenth-century modernization efforts, twentieth-century urban renewal, and, finally, twenty-first-century concerns such as heritage preservation, digital platforms, and tourist mind-sets. Throughout, Macaraig writes in an accessible, engaging manner, and her erudition on all topics related to the bath is impressive.