Turkish bath tradition: The example of Gaziantep, Turkey

Conservation of monumental and civil architectural heritage is an important element of cultural sustainability. Preserving these structures with their original characters and transferring them to future generations contributes to social memory formation and builds a bridge between the past and future generations. However, a sustainable and holistic conservation approach should cover not only tangible but also intangible heritage. Considering the tangible and intangible cultural heritage as a whole is also important to transfer the architectural heritage to future generations accurately. Local culture, customs and traditions also affect and change the formation of local architecture. Therefore, this research aims to examine the influence of local bath traditions on bath structures. The research specifically focuses on the relationship between local hammam traditions and Turkish bath architecture in the city of Gaziantep, Turkey. To do this, first, Gaziantep bath culture is examined in detail and its unique character is identified. Then, field research was carried out to investigate historical bath structures on-site and to conduct spatial analyses. The findings of the research show that intangible cultural heritage is a significant factor in shaping tangible heritage. It is believed that the research will contribute to considering tangible and intangible cultural heritage with a holistic comprehension of conservation in the example of historical Gaziantep hammams.