Liverpool Hammams Research Unit

Hammam Tanbali: Background and details

Currently, this 18th century hammam is not in use and in an advanced deteriorating condition.
The building is partially in ruin and is threatened with collapse. According to the
photographer Pascal Meunier, it was still in use 3 years ago (in 2003).
In spite of all this, hammam Tambali is a site of a high architectural and artistic value and is part of the Cairo cultural heritage that needs to be urgently preserved.
Therefore, urgent action must be taken.

Division of Space and Function

Four major elements can be found in all the hammams of Cairo with some variation in the size and the arrangement of specific spaces:
− The Maslakh: (meaning undressing in Arabic) where the following functions take place:
undressing/dressing, resting, socialising, eating and drinking. This room is accessed from the street through a narrow and bent corridor
− The Bayt- al- awwal (meaning first room in Arabic), this is a small cold room used for resting
The Bayth-al-harara (meaning the hot room in Arabic). This is a main cross shaped room which comprises two main features; the central space or Sahn which is surrounded by three to four iwans and two types of smaller rooms : the Maghtas which appears during the Mamluke period and consists of an elevated small room with an inserted hot water plunge pool. The number of these rooms vary from one hammam to another:
− The Khilwa which is a small private room for private washing.
− The Mustawqad or furnace where the heating system is located. This space is a key
space to the whole hammam but is not linked with the bathing spaces. Nospecific studies have been carried out on this heating system although it represents one of the key specific features of the hammams in Cairo.
Furthermore, the furnace has traditionally other functions which can be considered as lessons

of sustainability: these are the recycling of garbage and by-products as fuel. It is also used to cook broad beans, or “ful”, in special containers.

Delapidation Assessment

The rapid structural assessment carried out resulted in the following recommendations:
− Load bearing structure: Prop up the roof beams on top of some fragile columns in the maslakh (on the left side rear from the entrance)
− Domes: a number of domes have collapsed and need to be temporarily covered and repaired as soon as possible to avoid further decay.
− Furnace: the remains of the original furnace on the roof needs to be safeguarded. The walls display majors cracks and are in extremely bad condition. They need urgent shoring up and repaired.
− Hot pool structure: some tension tie-bars are missing or badly corroded (see Fig N4).
There is an urgent need to make the structure safe by using temporary tension elements.
− The plunge pool 1, the column formerly housing flow pipe needs a temporary prop.
− Adjacent structures: the adjacent building to the East of al Tanbali is in a dangerous state and could collapse on the roof of the hammam (see Fig. N5). It needs urgent shoring up. The cracked wall needs to be retained by scaffolding.

-It was heavily repaired with cement plasters in all its spaces. Causing serious decay on original materials (disturbing heat insulation, damp problems leading to decay of original fabric by salt crystallization and biological growth).
-Timber elements were oil painted. That has led to their rapid deterioration in damp conditions.
-Failures on the roof structure have led to the dampness and other materials problems and development of structural problems.

This first emergency intervention should focus on:
- The stabilization of the structural elements; propping-up domes, arches, tie beams, pillars, etc.
- The protection of the decoration elements by covering and stabilizing them
- The repairing of the roof.

An advanced restoration should be undertaken ASAP.
In the same way, serious actions must be taken for the reviving of traditional ways of buildings, especially those related to the hammams construction.

Architectural Significance

It is evident that hammam al Tanbali has specific architectural features and is in a relatively complete state that it is worth restoring and rehabilitating as a functionin hammam. It presents the largest plunge pools of the hammams of Cairo and has one of the largest maslakh area. Original features such as the washing basins, the stone stools and the water feature in the changing area need to be safeguarded as well as some of the original furniture still remaining in the maslakh.
- There is an urgent need to communicate with various local stakeholders in order to safeguard the structure, protect the building and seek funding for its restoration.

Liverpool Hammams Research Group
						Liverpool School of Architecture