Hammam Nur al-Din, Syria

The Hammam Nur al-Din was documented as part of Project Anqa, a collaboration between the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), CyArk, and Carleton University and was funded by the UK based charity the Arcadia Foundation. The project began in 2015 in response to the catastrophic loss of heritage in the Middle East and aimed to protect monuments by providing training on digital preservation techniques for local heritage professionals in the region. CyArk provided training and workshops in Lebanon to Syrian heritage professionals in 2016 and 2017 in partnership with the UNESCO Office for the Preservation of Syrian Cultural Heritage. The Syrian team documented six sites in Damascus and the data was sent back to CyArk for further processing.   

Hammam Nur al-Din has an unusually lofty mashlah. Dating from the Ottoman period, this large domed chamber contains six symmetrically placed iwans, a vaulted space set back from the wall, where cushioned stone benches invite the bathers to relax. Niches beneath the benches, or mastabas, create a space for bathers to leave their shoes while they change into the traditional wooden bathhouse sandals. An octagonal stone pool sits in the center of the mashlah and other furniture and decorations add character to the space, often changed with the fashion of the time.