Title: The Ottoman balnear buildings of Crete, issues regarding their construction, water supply and present situation

Authors: Eleni I. Kanetaki

Addresses: Department of Architectural Engineering, Democritus University of Thrace, New Library Building, Kimmeria, Xanthi, 67100., 67, Dimocharous str., Lycavettus, Athens GR11521, Greece

Abstract: Crete's Ottoman conquest from the Venetians took place during the last decades of the 17th c. Ottoman Turks enriched the historic centres of Herakleio, Chania, Rethymno, etc. with secular buildings corresponding to their everyday needs. Former Venetian structures were remodelled, while new religious and commercial ones, as well as of domestic character, were constructed. Hammams ('Turkish baths') were among them, as they fulfilled hygiene conditions, but mostly due to the Koran prescriptions regarding body and soul purification. Many Ottoman monuments in Greece have been lately restored and been given new uses, while in a few cases maintain their original one.

Keywords: Ottoman Crete; hammams; water supply; balnear buildings; Turkish baths.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGENVI.2016.074367

International Journal of Global Environmental Issues, 2016 Vol.15 No.1/2, pp.18 - 33

Received: 02 Sep 2014
Accepted: 29 Mar 2015
Published online: 25 Jan 2016 *

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