|
An attendant gives a soap massage to a customer at the newly restored Roxelana's hamam in Istanbul May 12, 2011. For decades the 16th century bath house built for the Ottoman Empire's most infamous woman, Roxelana, languished unnoticed between the Blue Mosque and the Haghia Sophia, relegated to life as a carpet showroom. Roxelana's hamam, a long, domed building completed in 1557 by the prolific architect Sinan, is the latest Istanbul bath to be restored to its former grandeur, emerging after years of neglect as an oasis of gleaming marble and inviting alcoves. [Photo/Agencies]
|
