ABOUT THE HAMAM

The Paphos Hamam/Baf Hamam, also known as the Medieval Turkish Bath, was part of a larger complex built during the Medieval period and modified and expanded during the Ottoman period. Today it presents the typical arrangement of an Ottoman bathhouse comprised of a disrobing room, a warm room and a hot room. It consists of two domed rooms and two smaller rooms with a barrel vault roof placed on the long sides of a narrow entrance hall.

THE CONSERVATION PROJECT

Conservation works to the Hamam consisted general restoration of the stonework including grouting and re-pointing of mortar-joints on the interior wall surfaces and exterior low walls, rendering of the walls, cleaning of the interior floor including removal of vegetation and replacement of sand. Repairing of the external surfaces of the domes including removal of the de-bonded parts of the ourter rendering, consolidation the stonework beneath and then rendering. An outher layer similar to the original one was then placed, and cleaning and pointing of the interior surfaces of the domes was carried out, including preservation of the traces of wall paintings. In addition, general waterproofing was conducted, as well as cleaning and pointing of the interior surfaces of the vaults, repairing of the collapsed first vault, excavations in the south-west corner and exposure of the findings.

Members of the diplomatic community as well as many Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots of Paphos attended the completion ceremony on 18 March 2015.