The ancient Eastern bathhouse in the sacred city of Turkestan was built between 1580 and 1590, serving pilgrims who journeyed to the mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi. Constructed below ground level, this bathhouse was designed to retain warmth, protecting it from the elements and keeping it heated for extended periods.
The bathhouse features nine distinct rooms, each designed for specific functions at different times, including a washing room, hot and cold water chambers, a massage room, and others. Its heating system is remarkably sophisticated, channeling hot air from the furnace below through underfloor ducts to reach every chamber. This structure served the people of Turkestan for centuries, remaining in use until 1975 due to its robust construction. In 1979, it was repurposed as a museum.
As part of the Khoja Ahmed Yasawi Mausoleum architectural complex, the bathhouse showcases a semi-subterranean, multi-domed design built with fired square bricks. Its plain brick façades add a raw, natural beauty, enhanced by a cluster of domes and an open, traditional aywan (veranda).
“Son, let me tell you: do not enter the bathhouse on a full stomach, for it is a sin; do not go daily—it is harmful. Visit every other day instead. Acclimate your body to the heat, whether it is summer or winter, by spending a little time in the antechamber, then a while in the next room, before entering the hottest room for your needs—but do not linger too long there. Once your body has fully softened, move to a private room to wash. Do not pour hot or cold water endlessly; follow the rules. If a private room is free, consider yourself fortunate, for an empty bathhouse was once considered a ‘found treasure.’ When leaving, dry your hair thoroughly, as exiting with wet hair was unworthy of a respectable person.”
The bathhouse comprises nine rooms of varying sizes, purposes, and periods of construction. The oldest section consists of seven rooms: an antechamber with a “Balkh” vault, the main washing hall with an octagonal pool, rooms with reservoirs of hot and cold water, and other functional spaces.
In the “hot room,” a wide platform serves as a massage table. Water is drawn through open vents into reservoirs, and the original plastered interior is now displayed in brickwork. Platforms and floors are adorned with marble tiles measuring 1.5 by 0.8 meters, using traditional Central Asian architectural techniques like dome-topped arches, “Balkh” vaults, and barrel vaults for corridors.
A unique heating system lies beneath the floors, directing heat from the furnace to an octagonal rotunda under the main hall, distributing it through radial channels to other rooms. These ducts have thermal pockets for heat retention, and extraction shafts to release air. The slight incline of the floors channels wastewater into a septic tank. This historic bathhouse was restored in 1979, preserving its architectural heritage for generations to experience.
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