Hammam of Inal, building in Africa
The Hammam of Sultan Inal is a 15th-century bathhouse with a central hall topped by a dome, lit by colored glass windows that create a soft glow throughout the space. The building displays the traditional layout with rooms of varying temperatures designed for the different stages of bathing.
The bathhouse was built in 1456 under Sultan Inal during the Mamluk period, representing an important structure in Cairo's medieval urban life. Its construction reflects the architectural standards and engineering knowledge of 15th-century Islamic society.
The bathhouse served as a community meeting place where people gathered to bathe, socialize, and conduct daily business together. You can still sense how important this role was to the neighborhood's social life.
The bathhouse is located on Al-Muizz street in the old city and is easy to reach on foot from nearby landmarks. The restored building is now open to visitors who want to walk through the original rooms and understand how such facilities worked.
The structure still contains its original water heating system, an ingenious arrangement developed by Mamluk architects that managed heat distribution without modern technology. This hidden engineering demonstrates the practical problem-solving skills of medieval builders who created effective solutions with basic materials.
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