The public bathhouse of Damascus, also called “the Hammam” is a testament to Syria’s heritage, a tradition that has been an integral part of Syria’s culture for centuries.
Similarly, visiting Hammam is a cultural ritual that goes beyond simple bathing. As a matter of fact, for visitors to Syria, experiencing a Hammam is a must, enjoying a blend of history, culture, and unique relaxation.
The history of hammam goes back to the Roman era, Syrian bathhouse take their inspiration from the first original bathhouse created by the Roman empire more than 2000 years ago. To clarify, when all the families live together, taking a bath is difficult because of the many family members (The Grandfather, the Grandmother, their sons and daughters, their brother-in-law, their sisters-in-law, and their descendants). For this reason, women and men go to the public bathhouse separately. that’s why, in 1250 there were more than 114 Hammam to use in Damascus itself.
In contrast, nowadays there are about only 20 Hammams that’s because the houses are provided with big bathrooms to shower and the families live separately (Husband and his wife with their children). Then again, by the Othman period, the Hammam became a basic of social life in Syria.
This journey goes beyond hygiene. Here’s what to expect:
Arrival and preparation: guests are greeted when arrive and directed to a changing room where they change to traditional wraps or towels.
Warming up: you enter a dry hot room to start your journey and get accustomed to the heat, a hot steamy room is designed to sweat away all the body’s impurities, and you will notice your muscles start to loosen up… relax and enjoy the moment.
Steam bath: where you get the traditional Hammam treatment by a trained staff, the treatment Starts by applying a thin layer of soap all over your body, then rinsing with lots of water, the personnel will scrape all your dead skin with a Kessa glove. You will be amazed by the resulting dead skin left on the glove after the exfoliation.
Message: This is optional in case you want to relieve the stress
Finally, relaxation: resting room to have some tea, maybe a Shisha, relax, and enjoy refreshment.
Last but not least, there is a tradition in Syria if you are getting married, the groom goes with his friends to the Hammam on the morning of his wedding day to celebrate and have good times together, later his friends help the groom get ready for the wedding.
After all, Visiting a public bathhouse is something new to some people. Give it a try, it’s an experience you won’t find easily in most countries.
For more information about traveling to Syria, please contact us today! Alternatively, check out our Syria travel guide.
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Josh 2024-06-23 Lulu was our tour guide in Damascus in October 2022 and she was the best guide we could‘ve hopefully for! We had a tight schedule so we asked to see as much as possible, which she happily obliged to. She has a very interesting background, knowing every last bit of the city, its culture, history and food! She speaks multiple languages, including Japanese (!) and was just a fantastic guide to have. 10/10 would recommend. Samantha Echeverria 2024-06-23 An extraordinary and humbling experience. From start to finish the whole experience was an adventure, learning of the Syrians deep history gives a great insight to their collective strength and dedication to their culture. To walk the same footsteps as mentioned in the Bible and Quran is profound and indescribable. Overall I was incredibly humbled by my experience in Syria. Thank you again for the experience of a lifetime, and I look forward to coming back to Syria soon 🤲🏼 Per Sommer 2024-05-31 Jeg rejste tre dage sammen med Tambi i det nordlige Syrien. Det var en uforglemmelig oplevelse. Sammen besøgte vi Homes, Krak de Chevaliers, Maloula, Aleppo, Arward Island og Apamea. Ikke bare er Tambi blevet en god ven, men han har også en kæmpe viden om de steder, som vi besøgte. Et af højdepunkterne var også at være på besøg hos Tambi i hans lejlighed og møde hans kone. Her fik vi te, kager og en god snak om oplevelserne under den lange krige. Jeg kan kun give Tambi mine varmeste anbefalinger. Marco Arenas 2024-05-31 I was in Syria a few years ago doing a little tour with Ayoub and the experience was amazing, Ayoub and his team were marvelous guides all around the country, making the most of the trip. Their service is amazing. I highly recommend Ayoub because he is reliable and well-organized. I am looking forward to coming back to Syria! Junaidi 2024-05-21 I recently had the pleasure of exploring Syria with Tambee as our tour guide, and I can't recommend him highly enough. Tambee’s deep knowledge of Syria's rich history and culture brought every site we visited to life. His passion for the country was evident in the way he shared stories and historical insights, making the experience both educational and enjoyable. Tambee’s professionalism and attentiveness were remarkable. He ensured our group felt safe and comfortable at all times, handling all logistics seamlessly. His ability to navigate the complexities of travel in Syria, combined with his warm and friendly demeanor, made our journey both smooth and memorable. What I really love is his knowledge of Islamic History. The way he told me the History of Islam while we are standing on the historical site itself just gave me goosebumps. He can make the history comes to life. In summary, Tambee is an exceptional tour guide whose expertise and dedication significantly enhanced our Syrian adventure. If you're planning a trip to Syria, do yourself a favor and contact Tambee. You won't be disappointed! Joel Lara 2024-05-20 Everything on the tour was amazing. Whatever you need to feel comfortable, they will go out of their way to make sure you feel okay. Tambi was our tour guide and I honestly would not have switched anything about it. He is one of the best tour guides I’ve ever met. Someone that is really passionate about sharing the past, present and future of Syria. You need to book your trip to Syria as soon as possible. There is so much history to be seen in this country. Do yourself a favor and don’t listen to what western media would say about this country. Saying it’s all about terrorism and dangerous, that’s a HUGE lie, go see for yourself how kind and loving those people in Syria are. As for the war in Israel, it feels really safe in Syria. You going there gives people hope for a better future. Visa costs depend on nationality. As a US citizen my Visa was pretty costly 220$. It was WORTH IT! Cymbie Lumbao 2024-05-20 Syria was definitely on our list of country to visit. It exceeded our expectations! Syrians are the most hospitable and warmest people we have ever met. The history is amazing! Tambee is our tour guide and Tayseer is our driver. They are the best! Tambee is very passionate about his country and their history. We felt really safe and well taken care of. We would definitely visit again. We went in for a tour of Syria and came out with a lifelong Syrian friends! 🙏🏽🇸🇾 thank you for a wonderful experience! Shukran! Rahul Mudumba 2024-05-19 Tambee was fantastic, and made sure I had an incredible trip! Filippo Volpato 2024-05-18 Tambee was the most exquisite guide we could have ever wanted. Always attentive, extremely knowledgeable and open to adjust the itinerary based on your interests (expect surprises for you!). Hopefully we will be back to this beautiful country, that Tambee made us fall in love with. Michael Van Arragon 2024-05-18 Ask for Tambee! There is so much to learn about the history and future of our shared humanity in this important and beautiful country. I travelled 10 days across a large part of Syria and wish I could've stayed. Tambee who emphasizes the "intangible" is a talented and enthusiastic story teller with an amazing personal connection to the people and culture. He will help you come away with a big picture appreciation of everything youre seeing and with a specialist's attention to detail; help you deepen your own sense of what is happening today in the region. These are some seriously friendly people- a visit to Syria like this one is so special.
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Ayoub Al Smadi
Ayoub boasts over five years of tour guiding and tour operator expertise. he has a master’s degree in planning and managing sustainable tourism development, and his cheerful, vibrant personality makes every moment with him fly by unnoticed.
