“We have seen a lot of landmarks in Turkiye. But can we do something that the Turkish do?” said Felix.
“I am taking you there right now,” said Scorch, leading the group through the streets of Sultanahmet. “We are going to a traditional hammam. It’s a bathhouse! Baths used to be health centres among the ancient Greeks and have been an important part of daily life in Istanbul since Roman and Byzantine times.”
They reached a small door with the word ‘hammam’ written on it. Not knowing what to expect, they walked inside and stopped in awe. It looked magical! There was a beautiful marble platform in the middle with marble basins and golden taps.
“I am so excited. Where do we start? What do we do?” Felix said with enthusiasm.
“From there,” said Orak, pointing to a hararet or the hot room. “We are supposed to go there first and relax. From there we get into the sogukluk, the cold room. After that, we come back to this room. It’s called a göbektaşı. That marble platform is where people lie down and get a massage or relax. We can do this as many times as we want!”
The Gifted Four of them looked around the room getting ready to experience the Turkish way of life.