Ferhat Bey Hammam

Ferhat Bey Hamamı, Vize Hamamı or Ağa Hamamı, is a historic Turkish bath located in the district of Vize in the east of Kırklareli. The building, constructed as a double bath, is currently in a ruined condition and is not in use.

History

Since the building has no inscription, there is no information about its construction date, and interventions made to the bath also make it difficult to determine the construction date. Therefore, there are different views about the building's construction date. According to old photographs of the building and its surroundings, considering the building materials of the now‑nonexistent mosque next to the bath and the Ferhat Bey Fountain that has survived to the present, the palmet and Rumi motifs of the kurnas in the hot section of the men's area, and the dome transition elements, it is thought that the bath was built after the 16th century, but it has also been stated that the same decorations could be dated to the Early Ottoman Period of the 14th or 15th centuries.

According to the existing repair plaque, Ferhat Bey Hamamı was repaired in 1938 by Kazım Dirik. Reinforced concrete was used in the repaired areas during these repairs. The men's section continued to be used until 1993, while the women's section was used as a warehouse during the War of Independence.

In addition, according to archival documents, on 25.03.1320 AH (02.07.1902 AD) the operation of the bath was entrusted to a man named Tahir Ağa, who was the tax collector in Vize.

It is thought that Ferhat Bey may have had a complex built here, together with the Ferhat Bey Fountain next to the bath and the mosque whose foundations only remain today.

The bath is currently in a ruined condition and is not in use.

Architecture

Ferhat Bey Hamamı is a double bath built on an east‑west axis. The women's section is located to the north, the men's section to the south. The bath consists of three sections: the changing room, the cold room, and the hot room. The structural walls are made of rubble stone; the dome, vaults, and arches are constructed of brick. The Ottoman‑script kurnas of the bath have survived to the present.

Men's Section

It is located on the south façade of the double bath. At the entrance there is a repair plaque dated 1938 carved in Latin letters on marble. Because of the level difference with the road, a four‑step staircase leads to the square‑plan changing room, and in the middle of this section there is a column supporting the upper covering. The upper covering is a flat‑roofed concrete structure.

The rectangular‑plan cold room, entered through a semicircular arched door from the changing room, has a vaulted ceiling. Six hexagonal “elephant‑eye” openings provide illumination for the space.

From the cold room one passes to the hot room whose spaces are covered with domes. Illumination of the central part of the hot room is provided by elephant‑eye openings on the octagonal drum of its dome. In the north of the hot room, a pointed‑arched eyvan covered with a vault contains a marble fountain. On the front of this fountain a partially legible inscription in thin script written in talik script reads “...... feulemâ.... tâat....”.

Women's Section

It is located on the north façade of the double bath. The women's section, which was used as a hayloft until recent times, is in a ruined state. Architecturally it shows the same features as the men's section. Because of the level difference with the road, a six‑step staircase leads down to the changing room. The square‑plan changing room is heavily ruined and its walls show traces of rubble stone and fallen plaster. In the middle of the space there is a concrete column supporting the upper covering.

On the west façade of the bath there are the water tank and the ash room, both in a severely ruined condition.

Restoration

Projects for the preservation and repair of Ferhat Bey Hamam have been prepared by the General Directorate of Foundations, and the Edirne Conservation Area Board has approved the Survey, Restitution and Restoration Projects.