Nowhere does the golden age of Ottoman life survive more vividly, and enjoyably, than in the hammam. Architecture, etiquette, gossip and sheer pleasure - keyif- are the essential ingredients. In the 16th century there were as many as 150 hammams in the market-places of Istanbul. Today there are far fewer, but the culture miraculously lives on.
A glorious forty-page feature with photographs by Fritz von der Schulenburg
Cover story
The Queen Mother's baths
Splendid Renaissance baths still flourish at the entrance to Istanbul's Grand Bazaar. Built for the mother of Sultan Murad III, the all-powerful Nurbanu, and opened in 1584, today the Cemberlitas Hammam is the liveliest of Istanbul's grand baths, and the perfect place to start.
The hand of the great Renaissance architect Sinan is evident in the gently pointed arches, lace-like carving and classical elegance
Barbarossa's baths
Another masterpiece of the imperial architect Sinan, the Cinili Hammam in the Old City was built for the legendary corsair-turned-admiral Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha, or Barbarossa, in the 1540s. Today it is far from grand, and only a few of the tiles that gave it the name Cinili (tiles) are still in evidence. But nothing can diminish the effect of the soaring curvy arches supporting a series of imposing domes.
Plastic bowls may have replaced copper ones and the walls may have seen better days, but Sinan's geometry remains a triumph.
Galatasaray Hammam
Built in 1715 to serve a palace school, the Galatasaray Hammam, in the heartof the European quarter, has always catered to a better class of bather. Trainee diplomats steamed there, and stranded gentlemen whiled away the night. Then in the Sixties it was given a makeover and became the haunt of celebrities and spies. Today it retains its air of glamour and exclusivity
The hot room: the heated marble platform or gobektasi
Dome of Baroque
When it was built in 1741 in the new Baroque style, Cagaloglu was at the forefront of architectural fashion. But this temple of cleanliness in the Old City marks the dramatic swansong of the grand Ottoman hammam.
The corner chambers are demarcated by doorways capped with scrolling arches
Turkish Baths, a guide by Orhan Yilmazkaya
Bath paraphernalia
Hammam accessories are a vital part of the ritual of bathing.
The best collections are in Istanbul at the Sadberk Hanim Museum and at the Topkapi which held a large hammam exhibition in 2006
Also in this issue First-hand Accounts by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, Charles White, Julia Pardoe and Freya Stark.
Connoisseur
Eastern enlightenment
Philip Mansel reviews a historic exhibiton at the Topkapi, Selim III: Reformist, Poet and Musician
A woman archer Rafael, 1770-80 This oil on paper by Rafael, one of the two court painters in Selim III's day, demonstrates how life for the women at the Ottoman Court became much more open. As well as being skilled at archery, they composed music, kept accounts and had dealings with tradesmen. This archer has a very direct gaze and wears strikingly revealing attire.
Selim III aged 31 by the French artist Duchateau was painted in 1792
The Sultan wrote poetry under the name Ilhami (Inspired)
O Ilhami, do not be indolent and do not trust in the things of this world. The world stops for no one and its wheel turns without ceasing.
Books
Turbulent times 100th Anniversary of the Restoration of the Constitution David Barchard reviews the catalogue of the Sadberk Hanim Museum's exhibition in June 2008 and goes back to the year that ended Ottoman absolutism.
Abdulhamid II being cheered by his people at the end of the first week in August 1908 for reinstating the Constitution
The exhibition catalogue
The poetry within by Berrin Torolsan
An antiquarian's deliciously distressed house in the Aegean was the first port of call for Berrin Torolsan when she set out to write the text for an inspring new book on Turkish interiors. In this extract from At Home in Turkey with photographs by Solvi dos Santos, she is captivated by a low-key restoration
The priest's house on the island of Cunda has been faithfully restored by Selden Emre
At Home in Turkey
Out of the fire It is two decades since Istanbul held the last great exhibition of Iznik ceramics, which created a stir and gave birth to a classic catalogue, much sought-after and recently reissued. This year's Iznik show, Dance of Fire at the Sadberk Hanim Museum - some 350 masterpieces belonging to the museum and to the great Koc dynasty - promises to be equally memorable
Iznik, by Nurhan Atasoy and Julian Raby
Book reviews The Idle Years by Orhan Kemal reviewed by David Barchard The Shaping of the Ottoman Balkans by Heath W Lowry reviewed by Caroline Finkel The Man who Invented History: Travels with Herodotus by Justin Marozzi Journey into Fear by Eric Ambler reviewed by Norman Stone Who Owns Antiquity by James Cuno reviewed by Christian Tyler Smyrna 1922 by Giles Milton reviewed by David Barchard
Cookery
Celery's Sibling Recipes, history and photographs by Berrin Torolsan
With its gnarled head and fierce aroma, celariac is a food for grown-ups. Peppery and pungent, it is eaten all over Turkey at tables high and low. Berrin Torolsan's traditional recipes make it a taste that's easy to acquire
Cookery features and recipes in every issue of Cornucopia.
Joy in a bottle Kevin Gould on new wines from Bozcaada
On the tiny island of Bozcaada (Tenedos), a mere speck in the Aegean, great wines are emerging that rival the best the world can ofer. The Corvus vineyards, once among the Mediterranean's most celebrated, have suffered centuries of neglect. Kevin Gould raises a glass to their renaissance with the founder of Corvus, Resit Soley.
Bozcaada/Tenedos maps and engravings of the island
Wildlife
The Great Bosphorus Migration by Soner Bekir
Birds migrating between Africa and Europe have a choice of two narrow channels of water to cross: The Straits of Gibralta in the est, and the Bosphorus in the east. At Camlica Hill, the highest point of Istanbul, on the Asian side, flocks of storks spiral up to catch the airstreams that will caryy them safely on. There are many other birds of passage, too, captured here on camera by Soner Bekir
Archaeology
Digging for Glory by Rupert Scott
Bodrum's peace was shattered in 1856 by the arrival of a warship bearing one of the most ambitious archaeological expeditions Britain has ever launched. Leading it was Charles Newton. His mission was to locate, excavate and carry home one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
Map of Bodrum (Halicarnassus)
'Who Owns Antiquity?' by James Cuno Reviewed in this issue by Christian Tyler
The Lion of Knidos by Ian Jenkins
Turkish Coast through writers' eyes, edited by Rupert Scott
The British Consular Service in the Aegean and the Collection of Antiquities for the British Museum by Lucia Patrizio Gunning £60
