Cairo's Famous Hammams " public
bathhouses"
In the
past, hammams or public bathhouses spread across Cairo and was a manifestation
of civilization in the past. The French
Campaign's scientists were impressed by these public bathhouses as they did not
have such baths in their country. At that time, Cairo had more than 100
hammams.
De Chabrol, one of the French Campaign's scientists,
in describing habits and traditions of Egypt's inhabitants in the Description
de l'Égypte book, referred to those public bathhouses and how people used them.
There were separate hammams for men and women, while
some public hammams served both men and women at different times of the day.
Although public baths were an old habit, some people still go. With
development, another kind of hammams appeared, known as beauty centers and spas.
One of Cairo's public baths is Hammam Al-Sukaria
built by Al-Qadi Al-Fadel Abdel Rahim bin Ali in the 18th century. It is
located at the end of Al-Mo'ez Street, in front of El-Muayyad Mosque. It is the
biggest public bath in Cairo.
Hammam of Sultan Al-Ashraf Inal
The Hammam of Sultan Al-Ashraf Inal is situated on
Al-Mo'ez Street and dates from 861 A.H and 1456 A.D. The Façade of the Hammam overlooks El-Mo'ez Street. As for the reception hall, it has a square shape
with a wooden ceiling and 28 windows.
The north section of this hall leads to a dressing
room with a round stone fountain.
