Hammam Seffarine – Atlas Obscura

The rhythmic thwacks and faucets of the native coppersmiths reverberate by the chambers of Hammam Seffarine, a fantastically restored bathhouse within the medina of Fez. Positioned on the southwest facet of Place Seffarine, the hamman is now not operational, however guests are welcome to tour the premises. The hammam probably dates again to the 14th century through the Marinid interval, and initially served the native coppersmiths working round Place Seffarine. Numerous artisans nonetheless function in and round Place Seffarine. 

Like different hammams in Morocco, Hammam Seffarine held important social and non secular significance, offering an area for ablutions, sustaining well being and cleanliness, and collaborating in cleanliness rituals related to weddings, childbirths, and circumcisions. This explicit hammam was related to the tombs of Sufi Muslim saints Sidi Tallouk and Sidi Ahmad Skalli, believing their blessings contributed to the purification of each physique and soul.

Conventional hammams sometimes had totally different admission hours for women and men, however Hammam Seffarine has separate services, so each sexes may go to on the similar time. This additionally implies that this hammam supplied a segregated public place for ladies to socialized freely.

The inside format, just like Roman bathhouses, contains an undressing room (mashlah or goulsa) with wealthy decorations, equivalent to carved stucco motifs and zellij tilework. The hammam had separate furnaces for the ladies’s and males’s sections, and the nice and cozy and sizzling rooms have been heated utilizing a standard hypocaust system. Accordingly, sizzling air circulated from a furnace beneath the ground, creating underfloor heating. The warmth was absorbed by the ground and partitions, which then radiated the warmth into the rooms.

Whereas Hammam Seffarine’s facade is unassuming, its pierced domes—viewable from the rooftops of close by cafes and eating places—are admirable.