Istanbul, Turkey 14 February 2008 <br />
Scene in Cemberlitas Hamam, typical tukish bath. <br />
This bath is one of the structures built by the architect Sinan, in 1584. Hamam (from Arabic 'ammam) is the Middle Eastern variant of a steam bath, which can be categorized as a wet relative of the sauna. <br />
They have played an important role in cultures of the Middle-East, serving as places of social gathering, ritual cleansing, and as architectural structures, institutions, and (later) elements with special customs attached to them.<br />
Photo: Ezequiel Scagnetti