Yesildirek Bathhouse

Yesildirek Bathhouse

You are in the Yesildirek Bathhouse, one of the biggest bathhouses of the city during the Ottoman period. With a modification in 1963, this bathhouse was converted into a closed bazaar with 46 shops that you see today.

You may not notice that you are really in a bathhouse building until you lift your head after walking a small distance in here. Yet when you arrive at hot room of the old bathhouse, you will probably start smiling in astonishment the moment you see the colourful round, hexagonal and star shaped skylights in the dome.

The bathhouse consists of dressing room, warm room and hot room, all aligned over the same direction. An independent domed dressing room, which shows that Yesildirek Bathhouse was built as a double bathhouse, can be found towards northeast of the building.

There is no construction epitaph for this bathhouse. However, this is most likely the bathhouse mentioned in Prime Ministry Archives as part of foundation of famous Grand Vizier Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Pasha in 17th century, called Direkli or Yesildirekli.

From the time of its construction until the 1940s, this bathhouse was heated by wood fire. Later on, coal fire began was introduced for heating. However, when the heating channels could not withstand the high heat emitted by coal fire and exploded, bathhouse completely lost its function. It was used as a warehouse, an inn and a production hall until it was reorganized as a marketplace.