Cemberlitas Hamami

Nurbanu Sultan (ca 1525-1583), haseki (wife) of Sultan Selim II and valide (mother) to Sultan Murad III, commissioned the construction of Cemberlitas Hamami in 1584, under the direction of the Ottoman master architect Sinan. It is a double bath dedicated to male and female clientele. It is located at the corner of the Divan Yolu, near the small plaza around Constantine’s Column. Restored with iron bands for stabilization, the Column began to be referred to as Cemberlitas (=hooped stone). Over time, the Valide sultan’s bathhouse acquired the name of its famous neighbor. This seventeenth-century map of the waterways of the Koprülü family's endowment includes a drawing of Cemberlitas Hamami that shows the façade’s original appearance. A grid like pattern on the right of the building’s front indicates that no plaster was applied to most of the exterior walls. A blind wall is located on the right half of the façade in front of what was the women’s section. It was meant to conceal female visitors, who entered through an inconspicuous side door, for reasons of modesty. A portico consisting of three arches and four columns fronted the male section. Today, Cemberlitas Hamami's facade is obscured by many smaller buildings and shops and no longer resembles the original freestanding imperial monument.