The Hammam Story: Birth of Turkish Towels
"Hammam", has derived from the Arabic word “hamma” (signifies "warming up") which implies steam shower and warming of cool water. In olden days, these baths were an essential piece of a daily routine in Istanbul since Roman and Byzantine time and were considered as wellbeing centers among the old Greeks. Under the Romans, Byzantine Turkish baths were not just spots to bath but also worked as social clubs where individuals met their friends and talked about different issues.
In Central Asia, the Turkic individuals had steam showers, which they called "Manchu". Carrying their Asian convention with them, they consolidated it with the Roman shower culture they found in Anatolia, and another combination was conceived, the "Turkish Bath." With their customs, related convictions, and theory of life, showers turned into an institution, which spread all through Anatolia. Even though the Turkish shower utilized similar warming framework of the Roman one, it is different from multiple points of view. The Turkish shower comprises three segments: the cold room (soğukluk), the tepidity room (ılıklık), and the warmest room (sıcaklık or harrare).
There are separate sections for women and men in traditional hammams. However, the showering process is similar between the genders. The experience of the Hammam is letting yourself loose in the hands of your Natir or tellak, the female of male attendants respectively, who guide the guests through the different sections of the hammam.
The hammam attendants often provide the guests with a thin Turkish cotton towel called the Peshtemal, to wrap yourself and a regular towel to use after the shower later. These traditional peshtemals were soft, super-absorbent, light-weighted and stylish, they were famous for a Turkish bath, and that’s how these traditional peshtemal towels are also called hammam towels. They were embellished with different sorts of weaving and designs. These Turkish cotton towels are also antibacterial.
When you are prepared, the shower attendant will bring you into the warm segment. Here you can unwind and sweat beside a ‘kurna’, the little marble basin. In the next step, the attendant will scrub your body and clean it. Take a load off, and let the person clean every last dirt off your body with the ‘kese’. Also, don't stress, in most conventional hammams, the washing spaces are isolated by marble boards to make a feeling of security. When scrubbing session, grab your spot on the warm marble called the ‘gobektasi’ in the hot area, where your attendant would give you a good massage.
Following this reviving experience, most wait in the shower territory and unwind. The hot segment of a Turkish shower is the most amazing part: It is generally structured so that beams of light travel into this zone from a high focal arch, enlightening the steam and making it look supernatural.
After you are done with all these steps, you will be made to sit in a cold section, often with a glass of an Ottoman-style juice or a cup of tea. This last step is essential so that your body comes in balance with the surrounding temperature before you leave.
Gatherings held at the Turkish hammam became essential occasions, for instance: the marriage bath ritual for women, which was held one day before wedding events initiated; the forty-day shower, which denoted the fortieth day following the birth of a child; the tear-drying shower, which all companions and relatives attended of the departed person twenty days after their death; the votary shower, held when an individual's desire was satisfied; the visitor shower, to which the lady welcomed her companions and relatives to meet an exceptional guest; and the occasion shower, which was gone up against the eve of religious occasions.
This is how the Turkish towels came into existence through Turkish Hammam.
The traditional Peshtemal towels have now been into use for many things and are available in various designs. It has been diversified and changed, and is third-most sold towel worldwide! So, don’t wait, and indulge in these beautiful Turkish cotton towels and other peshtemal products online available exclusively on P E S H C E.