The Arabic Baths in the Marzuela are the most complete and well-preserved of their kind in the entire country. They are in the town of Baza, which is known for its abundance of fresh and clear water. The baths were established during the Almohad period in the 13th century and were the public baths of this poor section of the town, which was adjacent to the mosque that once stood where today we find Santiago Church.
This monument has three different rooms: bayt alb-barid (the cold water room), bayt al-wastani (the warm water room) and bayt al-sajun (the hot water room). Excavations have successfully recovered other areas of the bath structure such as the maslaj (vestibule), furnace room, firewood storeroom, main door, and more.
In the first room, bathers removed their clothing and received all of the items necessary to enjoy a pleasant bathing session. Bathers would then pass to the main room where the traditional bathing process began. A type of steam room served to first make bathers sweat. After that point they would move on to the sajun, where soap was thoroughly applied and rinsed with abundant water using shell-shaped recipients. Bathers then had a choice of using the other rooms, one with hot water and the other with cold. Finally, they would return to the main room where they could rest and enjoy a variety of therapeutic massages.
Once the bather had rested, they put on a robe and covered their head with a sort of bonnet before moving on to relaxing and speaking with other bathers. Sometimes the baths were also perfumed with special aromas to create an even more pleasant experience.
The vaults that cover the first and third room are barrelled and lit by star-shaped ceiling windows. These particular stars have six points, something unique among Medieval Spanish baths. It is also possible to observe alcoves at the ends of the abovementioned rooms that would have been used for resting; they are separated by double arches with a middle column.
In the first third of the 16th century the public baths were not longer in use and eventually served other purposes, for example as a bodega and stable. Finally, in the 1970s they partially restored and declared a National Monument.
Se fundaron en época almohade (siglo XIII), y permanecieron abiertos hasta los primeros años de la conquista. Son los baños públicos del antiguo arrabal de Marzuela, ligados a la que fuera mezquita próxima (la actual iglesia de Santiago). Además del “barid” (sala fría), el “wastani” (sala templada) y el “sajún” (sala caliente), se han recuperado otros ámbitos del baño como el “maslaj” (vestíbulo), el “furnak” (horno y caldera), la leñera, la puerta principal de acceso, e incluso el sistema hidráulico de captación y evacuación del agua, lo que los convierte en uno de los más completos ejemplos de “hamman” o baño árabe de toda España.
Se encuentran incluidos en la RECA (Red de Espacios Culturales de Andalucía), y su reciente restauración ha merecido la concesión del Premio de Intervención en el Patrimonio Arquitectónico Español en 2009.
INFORMACIÓN ADICIONAL
Dirección: C/ Agua confluencia con C/ Acequia, s/n. Baza
Horarios y días de apertura: de miércoles a domingo de 11-13h. y de 18-20h.
Entrada gratuita.
