Episode date: Length: 1 min 39 s
Page published: · Last checked:
"If you're coming to Damascus, don't forget the hammam." The Mukhtar visited the old city's bathhouses to learn their rooms and prices, and why they were part of daily life for centuries.
The short answer
A Damascene hammam has three main rooms: the barrani for welcome and changing, the wastani to adjust, and the jawwani, the hot steamy heart of the bath. In September 2025 a visit cost about $5.2 per person (600 new Syrian pounds), and one bathhouse the Mukhtar visited is about 925 years old.
Barrani (outer): welcome and changing. Wastani (middle): to get used to the heat. Jawwani (inner): the heart of the bath, with steam, heat and the stone basin. And the mukayyis, the attendant who scrubs and massages away tiredness.
How much does it cost?
In September 2025 a visit cost about $5.2 per person (600 new pounds). Groups may get a discount.
Why is there a hammam next to every mosque?
In Old Damascus almost every quarter had a hammam beside the mosque. The design is similar everywhere, though some have been renovated with tiles.
What about weddings?
The groom went to the hammam with his friends as part of the wedding. And matchmakers used to choose brides at the hammam, where they saw the young women.
Questions people ask
What are the rooms of a Damascene hammam?
Three: the barrani for welcome and changing, the wastani to adjust, and the jawwani, the hot steamy heart of the bath.
How much is a hammam in Damascus?
About $5.2 per person (600 new Syrian pounds) in September 2025, with possible group discounts.
Why did matchmakers go to the hammam?
The hammam was where women met, so matchmakers saw young women there and chose brides.
We ask sellers in the market and record every price with its date, in US dollars and new Syrian pounds. How we work
The Mukhtar Al Souq team: produced by Ahmad Nahas (the show on his site) · written by Ahmad Nahas, Mazen Shbib, Ranim Shabani and Dania Halbouni · edited by Abdulrahman Al-Nassar and Abdulrahman Mulla · graphics by Wael Fayyad
The truth from the market, for the people