Al-Bakri Damascene bath… an embodiment of ancient architecture and a witness to authentic social traditions

Within the old lanes of Bab Touma, towards the Al-Qamariya neighborhood of Damascus, the heritage building of “Hammam Al-Bakri ” occupies a special place. The gorgeous beauty of the place attracts everyone who passes by to experience the pleasure of visiting it

Hammam al-Bakri is one of the oldest popular baths in the old city of Damascus. It enjoys wide fame among Syrians and non-Syrians who go to see it directly while visiting Syria due to its distinguished location, as it is located adjacent to the old Al-Bakri Mosque. They are also attracted by the ancient history of its construction, which, according to its manager, Hosam Hamami, dates back to the Mamluk era in 1069 A.D, which means  it is now over 900 years old. 

Over the years, a number of well-known Damascene families have possession of the bathroom until the Hamami family, which is known for practicing this work in many popular baths in Damascus, took it over in 2010. The work in the bathroom stopped because of the repercussions of the terrorist war on Syria. Therefore, the past years of closure were used to restore and renovate it while preserving its originality and heritage significance to be reopened several months ago, according to Hamami’s statement to SANA.

With regard to the reasons that made the Damascenes go to the popular bathroom,  Muhammad Dahdouh, Abu Mustafa, who works as a “masseur” in the bath, tells SANA, “For more than thirty years, the need to go to the bath was necessary because the designs of some Damascene houses did not contain Hammams, or because of the large number of family members within the same house. So that one Hammam would not suffice them. Therefore, men or women used to go to the public bath weekly. It has been the venue of social space, relaxation, and practicing various customs and rituals such as pre-wedding celebrations. Over the years, it became a heritage tradition. Such a custom has continued in Damascus up to modern times and is still practiced in some traditional families even with the presence of a bath in the home, especially at weddings, as a custom accompanying the party of any groom in Al-Sham.

In general, the work cadre in the public Hammam consists of the Al-Mou’alem “the owner of the bath”, who manages the work and maintains the principles of the profession”, Al-Natour, “the caretaker”   who is responsible for receiving and serving customers inside the Hammam within the Al-Barani and Al Wastani halls”.

Among the bath cadre also are Al-Raes or “bathing attendant” who is responsible for soaking and rubbing the customer’s body with soap and water in the al- Juwani section.

Al-Taba’, is “responsible for washing the customer’s head and assisting Al-Raes in his work, in addition to rinsing, cleaning, and preparing the sections. There is also Al-Qumaimi, who is “responsible for making fire and heating water.” He lives within the Qamim section, i.e. the place where the furnace or” bayt al-Nar” is located.”

Abu Mustafa went on to say that after entering the main bath building and preparing for the bathing process the customer usually begins to go down a staircase consisting of three or four steps, which is found in most of the Damascene baths, except for the al-Noufara . The reason for the presence of these steps as Abu Mustafa explained is that the Hammam floor is lower than the level of the first entry section of it. “All the baths used to draw their water from the Barada River and to get water, the ground level must be parallel to the river level so that water can be drawn through pottery pipes into the bathroom, that is why  the bathroom floor was low”, he added.

As for the “clogs” that are usually worn within the bathroom, they are worn because, according to Abu Mustafa, these wooden clogs serve as a heat insulator to protect the feet of the bather. “In the past, they used to heat the bathroom water with firewood, on which they put a pot, “Hilla” which is connected to a chimney called “Al Fahal” and are covered with stone, in addition to the presence of the so-called “Zaghalil” and “Al-Maqasir” which means side chambers through which the bathroom is heated. Therefore, the stones of the bathroom floor remain hot and the temperature is very high so it is necessary to wear clogs.

Popular baths always present a steady progression  from the undressing room “Mashlah” through to the cold room “al-Barani”, the warm room “al- Wastani” and the hot room “al-Juwani” that are subject to  gradual temperature regime, which is the reason for moving from one section to another.

As soon as the customer enters the bathroom, he would see a stone space with a fountain in the middle of it, provided with stone benches for customers to sit on. This is called the “al- Barani” section, where the customer is undressed; all of the clothes are folded in a towel that is then stored with his personal items in a locker.

Then the customer moves to “Al Wastani” where the temperature is intentionally slightly higher than the “Barani” section as the temperature gradient protects people’s bodies from diseases. Then he moves to “Al-Juwani” where the steam room is, where the heat increases more and the bathing process takes place.

When the whole bathing process is completed the customer leaves the same way he entered by moving from “Al-Juwani to Al-Wastani to Al-Barani” so that the body does not feel the large temperature difference directly. The bathing attendant brings dry towels to the client as he moves back to the undressing room where he relaxes and sips “Khamer tea” or the drink he wants.

The bath manager, Hamami, pointed out that people used to go to the bathroom in the past as a need and necessity. Nevertheless today, they come to revive the heritage and seek recreation, relaxation, and psychological comfort because of body massage, as there are permanent customers who visit it daily because they consider it a source of comfort, calm nerves, and positive energy.

Hammam was not just a place for washing, but rather it was something like a forum for discussions between the people of the area and a venue for social interaction. Today, this ritual has turned into morning meetings to exchange talking or gatherings of weddings and occasions, especially on holidays, where it is crowded until the early morning hours, according to the work staff in Hammam al-Bakri.

Hamami went on to say, “The Hammam is not just a source of livelihood for me. It is more than work and a profession. It has become a place for cultural exchange with visitors, tourists, and foreigners who would visit the Damascene bath during their coming to Syria, in addition to exchanging dialogues and conversations with various segments of society… This place always gives me love and joy.”

“With the repercussions of the current circumstances, including the spread of the Corona pandemic, people initially had some fear of visiting the bath. But the problem quickly disappeared and people returned to visiting the Hammam, especially since the staff working in the bath had taken all safety measures such as the permanent and strict cleaning and  sterilization of all tools and places in the bathroom,” Hamami added.

Syrian expatriate Tony Abdel Ahad explained in a statement to SANA that he has been going to the popular bath for thirty years because it is a beautiful place where he enjoys the traditional atmosphere, in addition to the fact that it is a healthy place for the body, especially the “rubbing” process that a person undergoes during the bath.

The people of Al-Sham say about the popular bath… “The bliss of the world is the bath”. Their well-known phrase after the groom left the popular bath… “Hammam al-Hana Ya Arees”, “Bath of bliss, oh groom.” Phrases that bring joy when heard because they bring back to the memory directly the sounds of laughter and songs that accompany this ancient Damascene ritual.

Amal Farhat