"High-End Hamam Opens in Historic Istanbul Location
By SUSANNE FOWLER
For years the domed structure between the Aya Sofia (Hagia Sophia) and the Blue Mosque was used as a state-run carpet shop. Kilims and halis were strewn every which way across marble navel stones under huge domes that let shafts of light illuminate the structure built in 1556 by the famed architect Sinan to house the baths of Roxelana, known locally as Hurrem. (Hurrem was the slave who became the powerful wife of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.) Now, thanks to a $10 million restoration, the marble-clad space is once again a Turkish bath house, with separate facilities for men and women. "
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