A unique building, a wooden hammam built in 1778 under Sultan Abdulhamid I, has been put up for sale in Istanbul's Uskundar district, Hurriet reports. For a three-story wooden building, the age of 244 years seems almost unbelievable.
The owners valued their property at 48 million lire, or $2.6 million.
Inside, the hammam looks like an ordinary institution of this type: it has marble walls and decorated windows, 4 bath rooms and 19 dressing rooms.
According to one of the owners of the building, Yucel Bal, in recent years, the culture of the hammam has lost its significance in Turkey. Back in the 70s of the 20th century, people visited the hammam twice a week. And now everyone can use the bathroom at home. “The number of visitors in the last years of operation has decreased to 5-10 daily, although back in 1993 up to 150 people came here every day,” he complains.
“My grandfather bought this hammam in 1964. After my grandfather, it was led by my father and uncle. In 2012, he moved to me. But after five years of work, we were forced to close due to a lack of customers,” says Yucel Bal.
“I would like this hammam to retain its original purpose, as it is a unique object that is a living example of Ottoman wooden architecture, which people should get acquainted with not only from books,” commented historian Hamze Kaymak Heinz from Beykent University on the sale announcement.
bbabo.Net