Monuments
Underground Hammam
Hammam near the Double Gates (Shamakhi) - Underground Hammam
During archaeological excavations conducted near the Shamakhi Gate in 2016, the remains of a medieval hammam were discovered.
In the Middle Ages, Baku strictly adhered to sanitary and hygienic rules. The Silk Road merchants who came to the city were sent to the hammam after customs control and only then were they allowed into the city. The well-known Turkish traveler Evliya Çelebi, in his famous “Travelogue” (Istanbul, Topkapi), reported that while in Baku in 1647, he was in this hammam located near the walls of the Citadel and popularly called “Mirzakhan hammam”. After the occupation of Baku in 1806 by General S.A. Bulgakov, the hammam was stopped, the domes were damaged, and the rooms were filled with household waste. Later, a military commandant’s office was located in this area. According to the elements of its construction and architecture, it resembles the Khoja Bani bathhouse and probably dates back to the beginning of the 17th century.
