TURKISH BATH

Bride Bath Tradition

In Gaziantep, the tradition of “the bride bath” is organized by the bride’s family before the marriage and by the family of the groom after the marriage. Food and little gifts (soap and henna) are prepared beforehand, and the bath attendants are given the instructions. 

"Samsirak" Tradition

In the bride bath tradition, which takes place before the marriage is also called girl bath and according to the Gaziantep traditions, is the pouring of a special liquid called "Samsirak" over the bride's head. It is believed that this will make her valuable and desirable for her husband. Samsirak contains cinnamon, sugar and pink sugar color and is prepared by mixing the scents of musk, amber and rose and the spreading of a little amount of "üzerlik" seed to the mixture. This ritual takes place at the passage between the hot section and the warm section. The woman who pours the Samsirak must be a someone who is happy in her own marriage.

After the session, the bride will not wash her hair again and proceeds to the cooling section.

Soaps

During the Ottoman period, it was customary that the manufacturer stamps the soap with their own brand. The stamps also indicate the city where it was produced as well as the percentage of natural oils it contains. Such details would indicate the value of each bar.

Travelling Barbers of the Baths

Barbers had a very important place in the Ottoman culture, they also performed circumcision, prepared ointments and pulled teeth in addition to their regular duties of giving haircuts and shaves. Barbers who were initially regarded as “bath personnel”, were first mentioned separately from the bath tradesman in Suleiman the Magnificent's book of law in 16th century.

In Ottoman time, traveling barbers in Gaziantep baths had their clients sit on their special small stools and gave them haircuts and shaves inside the cooling room.

Additionally, bath barbers who were both rubbers/washer (tellak) and barbers were also present in the baths.

The antique wooden-silver Turkish bath clog has been in the possession of the Ergun family as a legacy of Turkish bath culture from the 1800s to the present day, passed down as an heirloom through four generations. Her grandmother was the owner of Ergun Turkish Bath near Fish Lake in Şanlı Urfa between 1930-1970. The Ergun family lived in Halil Bey's Mirrored Mansion, and her grandfather built the Turkish Bath on the lower floor of the building in 1930. The mansion, together with the Turkish bath, is a historical example of Şanlı Urfa that has survived from the Ottoman period to the present day. Therefore, the Turkish bath clog is a symbol of the family's history. The antique wooden-silver Turkish bath clog owner: Zeliha Ergun.