Hot bath hamams in the Arab world

Greek hot springs, Roman hot baths, Arab hamams, Turkish hamams, European spas, Garden saunas, American hot tub spas, Garden hot tub spas

The arabs learned the art of making hot baths from the Romans, changing the name from termae to hamam. Since ritual ablutions were an important part of Islamic practice, hamams were often provided by the religious charities (waqf) which also supported mosques and theological colleges (madrassas). Arab hot baths also took on something of the architectural character of mosques, with ornate arches and domed roofs. Separate public hot baths were provided for men and women but this was not always the case in palace baths and lascivious stories have long been circulated (eg about the garden palace baths at Khirbat al-Mafjar and the Alhambra).