The Turkish ‘Hamam’ (or steam bath) is a private place where Tunisian women like to meet to beautify themselves and socialize. However it is also a mysterious world full of secrets and occasional spine-chilling tales.
People have weaved tales around the ‘hamams’ for centuries, recounting strange stories in which reality mixes with fantasy and legends have been carried from generation to generation by grandparents telling their grandchildren.
At ‘Bab Suweiqa’ in Tunisia there are many old-fashioned ‘hamams’ that have not lost their roles, rituals or charms despite their modern appearance.
Kowthra, a regular visitor to the hamams over the years said that she was ambivalent about the legends that revolve around ‘hamams.’
“They could be right or they could be figments of the imagination,” she said. “I’ve heard the women of the city of ‘Matr’ (north of the Tunisian capital) say that the jinia (genie) in some of the city’s ‘hamams’ scratched the backs of some the young women who frequented the place and that you could see the damage.” She said that some people interpreted the incident that the land on which the hamam was built is part of the jinia’s property. Word of this incident spread quickly throughout the city and it was carried in some local newspapers. “So I amuse myself with such tales, but I still get the goose bumps every time I enter the hamam.”
Zakiya’s house is equipped with a modern bathroom, but she still makes a point of maintaining the tradition of visiting the hamam. She too has visited them for relaxation for years.
“The trip to the ‘hamam’ is a ritual that includes using the zinc bowls that are used exclusive for bathing,” she said. A bride traditionally brings them with her as part of her trousseau as a symbol of cleanliness, aroma and decoration. “With its architecture and atmosphere, it is a world of its own.”
She feels a visit relieves the stresses of a busy life; “I retrieve my vitality and radiance there,” she said. “I often go in a sour mood and come out energized and cheery. It’s a place where women exchange secrets, news and gossip.”
She thought that some ‘hamams’ are soaked in tales and memories handed down from one generation to another. “Some of the tales that say that such places consume young girls,” she recalled. When she was a little girl her grandmother told her that a mother once lowered her daughter into an opening in the earth looking for treasure. “The ‘Red Jinn’ came and the earth swallowed her. The young girl’s hair grew every night between the cracks in the ‘hamam’s floor. The poor mother cut the hair every night to keep her secret buried.”
To this day, some women are cautious when they’re visiting the ‘hamam’ taking friends and relatives with them for protection.