Ammuna:

- Hammam Ammouneh is the only public bath in Damascus which still preserves the traditional heating system consisting of ducts, chimneys and steam windows.
- In contrast with Turkish and Egyptian hammams, and in line with Moroccan public baths, the entrance of the case study is anonymous and does not bear any particular decoration or advertising sign. However, facades decorated with polychrome stone ashlars can be seen in other baths in Damascus, such as Tayrouzi and El-Malik ez-Zaher hammams.
- Unlike the free-standing hammams of Turkey , and similar to the public baths in Morocco and Egypt , hammam Ammouneh is adjacent to other buildings, in order to reduce heat loss through the walls.
- The meshlah (undressing room) is usually entered through a narrow corridor which is, however, not bent, as typical of all hammams so far studied in other countries.
- The case-study hammam is the only known public bath which does not display the cold room along the typical sequence of bathing spaces. This is, however, probably due to later alterations to its original plan.
- Despite its small scale, hammam Ammouneh presents a rich variety of domes and squinches, typical of its historical era.
- Hammam Ammouneh shows a linear organization of its bathing spaces, which is coherent with its Ayyubid foundation. However, until the fourteenth century the linear typology co-existed with the central one, as can be seen, for example, in hammam Bzouriye which is contemporary to hammam Ammouneh (see infra).

Preliminary recommendations or draft scenarios
Hammams Ammouneh is under threat of closure or demolition, which would mean
the loss of an important heritage building. Prompt wide- and small-scale actions are
thus needed in order to protected its future:
- Enhancement of the various stakeholders’ awareness of the heritage value of the hammam and the necessity to protect it (public meetings, regulations, booklets and publications, lobbying, media).
- Establishment of a framework of legal regulations and guidelines for the hammam’s renovation, restoration and reuse.
- Improvement of circulation along the bathing spaces of hammam Ammouneh through removal of recent additions, reassessing the original layout.
- Cleaning of roofs from vegetation growth, as well as removal of water tank located on it, in order to avoid further damage to domes and their decorative elements.
- Upgrading of traditional under-floor and steam heating system.
- Cleaning of floor from incompatible additions which have altered the original decorative patterns.
- Re-establishment of relationship between hammam Ammouneh and its urban context through a sensitive scheme which needs to assess the open area resulted from the demolition of traditional residential buildings surrounding the bath. This demolition has also dangerously exposed the northern wall of the hammam.