Istanbul’s most dazzling hammam...

also operates as a contemporary art space

In May the Zeyrek Çinili Hamam, a historic bathhouse built in the 16th century by chief architect of the Ottoman Empire Mimar Sinan, officially reopened its doors to the public. The eagerly anticipated opening followed an epic 13-year renovation and archaeological excavation project by the Marmara Group that saw many of the building’s original Ottoman features restored to their former glory.

Conservation work involved uncovering and restoring beautiful Chinese-style blue and white Iznik tiles, 18th and 19th-century wall paintings and the star-shaped holes that stud the semi-domed ceilings of the hot rooms. Perhaps the most significant revelation of all though was the discovery of the hammam’s Byzantine Cisterns under the women’s cold rooms, in which ship graffiti — presumably created by slaves kept inside — was found on the walls.

The Zeyrek Çinili Hamam in Istanbul

As well as operating as a traditional Turkish bath (I highly recommend The Flow if you’re after a little extra sloshing, scrubbing and massaging), Zeyrek Çinili Hamam now also serves as an events and exhibition space. Complementing the on-site museum, dedicated to the history of bathing and hammam culture, is a program of brilliant temporary contemporary art exhibitions and accompanying talks and events.

Curated by Anlam de Coster, the inaugural exhibition Healing Ruins made headline news around the world. It featured works by 22 celebrated international and Turkish artists, including Elif Uras, Ahmet Doğu İpek and Zoe Paul, that took inspiration from or responded to the building’s architecture as well as themes of ruin, history and healing.

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Koza Güreli Yazgan (left), Founding Director of Zeyrek Çinili Hamam, and exhibition curator Anlam de Coster (right)

All of the works were carefully displayed so that at every turn the eye would fall on something beautiful, unexpected and intriguing. It was a truly gorgeous show.

‘The exhibition [explored] how discovering and restoring layers of history might have a transformative effect on us, both on an individual level and as a society,’ De Coster told EuroNews. ‘We can talk about the act of healing ruins: our mental ruins, perhaps, or the architectural ruins of previous civilisations or our history’s intangible ruins.’

Now’s your chance to see another of De Coster’s beautifully curated exhibitions.