Hammams (Turkish Baths) in Tripoli Lebanon

Present

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The harbour - ElMina - three kilometers away, hosted what was apparently at one time a Phoenician town of which nothing now remains. ElMina is also known as the "City of Waves and Horizons".

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Past

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A quick reference about Tripoli in the Prehistorical, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Crusade, Mameluke, and Ottoman periods.

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The wealth of historical monuments make Tripoli the second largest preserved Mameluke city in the world.

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Tripoli's only functioning hammam is Hammam AlAbed. It was mentioned in Nabulsi's accounts of his visit to Tripoli in the early 18th century, this suggests that the bath was probably built at the end of the 17th century. It is present at the Roumanneh district at the Sayyagheen Bazaar. It occupies a 500 m2 area and it has the typical pierced domes of Mamluke and Ottoman Era public baths. The interior, with its cushions, central fountain and traditional fittings, is a living museum. This monument requires 45,000$ to restore it to its original status.

Known as Hammam AlAteek, Hammam AlAzem is situated in ElMina below the arch of the Kabir Ali Mosque. This bath was constructed by Ibrahim Pasha AlAzem, governor of Tripoli, during the Ottoman period in year 1136 H./1723 CE.

Built around 1723-1730 CE by Ibrahim Pasha elAzem (the Ottoman governor of the city) on the remainings of a Mameluke construction, and called the "New Bath," this is by far the largest hammam in the city of Tripoli since it occupies 600 m2. Although it has not been in operation since the 1970's, its faded grandeur still stirs the imagination. AlJadeed Hammam is located in the Haddadeen district and is at present unused. This monument requires about 82,000$ to restore it to its original status.

Inner view from AlJadeed (New) Hammam.

AlJadeed Hammam in the late 1960's.

Present at the vicinity of the Mansouri Great Mosque at the Nouri district, Hammam elNouri was built by the Prince Sonjor Bin Abdulah el-Nouri at 1310 CE. The hammam follows the Mameluke style and it occupies 545 m2. However, it differs from Izzedeen Hammam in that the dressing room and the tepidarium are built on a smaller scale. On the other hand, the hot water steam hall is large and is surrounded by a series of private bathing alcoves. The interior is decorated with multicolored marble pavement, basins and fountains and from the exterior one can get a view of its cluster of domes perforated with light holes with protruding blue and green glass roundels. At present, AlNouri Hammam is not used and needs an urgent maintainance. This monument requires about 110,000$ to restore its function.

The main gate of Izzeddeen Hammam. Left: Photo taken in the 1970s. Right: Photo showing the extent of damage that happened to it because of the war in Lebanon (1975-1992).

The inner side of the dome of the Hammam.

The interior of the Hammam.

The dome of the Hammam.

This public bathing-house was gifted to the city at 1295-1299 CE/694-698 Hejirah by its Mamluke governor "Izzeldeen Aybak AlMawsili". The governor, who died in 1298 A.D. (late 13th century), is buried in a mausoleum beside the hammam. In building this bath, he used choice remains from the Crusader church and hospice of Saint Jacob. The front portal is decorated with an inscribed fragment between two Saint James shells, and the inner door is surmounted by the Paschal lamb. The hammam Izzedeen, badly damaged in Lebanon's war, was in continual use until recently and it is now under restoration. It occupies a 745 m2 area and is present at the Hadeed district.

The main gate of the hammam caries an arch that includes series of alternate colored-stones with some simple decoratif motifs below. The gate is decorated on top with a picture of a small lamb who's head is surrounded by an icon. The lamb symbols the "Holly Lamb" slaughtered by Christian during Eastern. On the right and left sides of the lamb there are two rounded-flower motifs. Next to the right-sided flower stands a latin inscription. On another place, the name of St. Jacob is clearly indicated (SCStACOBOS).

This monument requires about 175,000$ to restore it to its original status.