Saruca Paşa Hamam (Paşa Hamamı)
The Saruca Paşa Hamamı (Paşa Hamamı) is a historic double hamam (Turkish bath) in the Karaman quarter of the Alaettin neighbourhood of Gallipoli (Gelibolu), dating from the reign of Murad II. It was built in the name of Saruca Paşa, the castle commander who had the Gallipoli Shipyard built in 1391.
Architecture
The hamam follows a double-bath plan (with separate sections for men and women). Its walls are built of highly porous stone with brick laid in vertical and horizontal courses. It consists of a cold room (soğukluk), a warm room (ılıklık) and private hot chambers (halvet).
The hamam today
It was still in use until about twenty years before 2020, when this article was first published. Work has begun to restore it.
Hamam culture in Gallipoli
Until the 1970s, hamam culture was very important in Gallipoli. We describe the pre-wedding “gelin hamamı” (bride’s bath) tradition and the restored Şengül Hamamı in our article Old Gallipoli: hamams and houses. For the monumental tomb of Saruca Paşa, who commissioned the bath, see the Monumental Tomb of Kaptan-ı Derya Saruca Paşa page.
