The name means “new bath”, and Yeni Hammam is indeed much newer than other bathhouses in Antakya, some of which date back to the Mamluks. Customers strip off in the entrance hall, before beginning the ritual of steam, scrub and oil massage, progressing through three marble chambers of gradually increasing humidity. Like many cities, Antakya (Antioch in antiquity) once boasted many more hammams, and before that, lavishly mosaicked Roman baths. Across north Africa and the Levant, from Morocco to Istanbul, covid-19 closed historic bathhouses. Recently Yeni Hammam hosted a modern-day bridal party.

Source: The North Africa Journal December 29, 2021 18:44 UTC