SYRIA

Hammam Dreams

Sept 2000 – 6’09

00.02

Ever since the prophet Mohammed extolled the virtues of sweat baths in around the 6th century, the hammam, or Turkish bath has enjoyed popularity throughout the Middle East. In Arabic, the word ‘hammam’ means ‘spreader of warmth’. The washing ritual has become ingrained in the Islamic culture of physical and religious purification.

00.23

Hassan Nehwali and Walid Masri are about to experience the rigorous and relaxing rituals of the hammam. The two Damascan businessmen are embarking on an ancient Arab tradition - they are seeking relaxation and hope to leave full of vitality.

00.46 I/V Hassan Nehwali

After a real long hard day, it does me good to come to the hammam where I can relax and have a chat. It’s a soothing experience for my soul and for my body.

1.01

The hammam developed from a mixture of Arab and Roman bathing traditions. This is the oldest one in Damascus, built for Sultan Nuraddin 800 years ago. The bathing process has barely changed, beginning in the vastani, the acclimatisation room. The heat is much more intense than in European saunas - sweating out impurities is only one element of the holistic cleansing process.

1.29

In the nearby Café Nowfara the storyteller recites his tales. The audience may join in and air their views. In A Thousand and One Nights there are many references to hammams, and our storyteller chooses a tale about the origins of this one.

1.50 - storyteller voiceover

Once upon a time the sultan’s son got married. The night before the wedding the bride and groom went into the hammam with their servants - strictly separated of course. After her bath she was the most beautiful bride ever seen.

But the men sat and sweated on the hot benches until flames came out of their heads and their feet.

2.15

Walid and Hassan have already had their bodies seasoned with heat in the harara, or hot room. Now the tellak scrubs them, rubbing their skin until it is red raw with a sponge as harsh as sandpaper. Vigorous massage and sloughing of dead skin and dirt is often followed by the removal of body hair. Women once used a substance containing arsenic for this purpose, but it was banned when some of them turned it into a poison for their husbands!

Although the crusaders imagined wild orgies in the hammam, they may have been disappointed - private parts must be covered at all times.

2.53

Damascus - it is rumoured that Mohammed never entered the city, as he claimed that he only needed to see paradise once - after death.

3.03

The only way for a Muslim to see it is by praying - washing first is a prerequisite. The Koran recommends washing the face, the hands up to the elbow, and wetting the feet up to the ankle.

Every practising Muslim goes through this ritual five times a day, before each prayer. The key to the cleansing of the soul can only be found by the cleansing of the body.

For this reason it was said that Allah favoured the building of hammams - their respect for Islamic laws of hygiene and purification meant that a visit there complemented one to the mosque. The Muslim nickname ‘silent doctor’ also hints at the medicinal properties the hammam is believed to have.

3.47

The tellak gets to work on the massage, kneading and pummeling until bones seem about to crack - no muscle is too tense for him to loosen.

Then he washes his victims with olive oil soap. Any muscle knot which has been neglected so far is certainly in for the treatment now. His victims have no choice but to lie helpless to the tallak’s touch - be it tough or tender.

I/V 4.22

Hassan Nehlawi in English

You don’t feel any pain - you feel like a new born baby. All you want to do is rest and sleep. You forget all about your work, your problems, all about your pain, all about the world.

04.43

Back to the Café Nowfara - even if the procedure in the hammam makes you feel weak at first, the storyteller in the café shares Mohammed’s belief that the heat enhances fertility.

04.58 storyteller voiceover:

The sultan’s son and his bride each had a meal after their hammam. Only after that did they retire to their chamber, and after 9 months twins were born to them.

5.10

Hassan Nehlawi has made it. He is being prepared for the last stage of the hammam, the resting room. Relaxation is essential and so is the company. No-one comes to the steam bath for the sole purpose of bathing - it is also a centre for socialising.

I/V 5.29

Hassan Nehlawi

The hammam is an institution. Most houses have baths today, not like in former times. But this one here is not just for washing in. It’s a place to meet and communicate. We say ‘naiman’ to someone who has come from the hammam. It’s someone from paradise. So he who has just come from the hammam, has come from paradise.

End at 6,07

End insert: report: Ernst Kernmayer

camera: Fritz Handl-Erjaut

Edit: Astrid Conrad

AKM: Authentic Arabia in The Islamic World 2 Title: Raksa Arabia

Author: Damil Ahmed Ausf¸hrende: The Annigma Ensemble