Loulé. 19th century Islamic Baths XII unique in Portugal
hamman
The fenced building – others near one of the city gates – near one of the city gates – the inhabitants as newcomers can do the ritual of body washing ablution – and longer baths. This practice was linked to therapeutic virtues and purification of body and spirit.
It was frequented by men and women, but they probably never mixed. There would probably be a schedule for the men and others for the women, because being an audience, everyone used the baths.Underlined Alexandra Pires, Archaeologist and Head of Archeology and Museology Unit at the Municipality of Lourenço (CML).
These facilities will serve the population in the final phase of Muslim rule and will function continuously for some time during the Christian life, after the conquest of D. Afonso III, in 1249.
These are the Unique Islamic Baths found in Portugal and presented with stucco-coated masonry wallsstill well preserved.
The 1.8 million euros space became the most complete equipment of its kind in Portugal in a recent museum investment where only the non-Islamic heritage was preserved as the story of what came next.
According to Dália Paulo, municipal director of the CML, at the time when the memory of the Muslim heritage had been lost, at the end of the 19th century, XV, the Barreto family a Manor House a few meters above the building of the baths. The classification of the space as a National Monument is currently underway.
a discovery
In the chronicles of Ibn Said and Abd Aluhaid, the strategic value of Al-‘Ulya’ in the final baths of Issos, but there was no mention of the period of urban and architectural location, therefore known in the plan of the old Loulé.
RTP report in 2006. First archaeological intervention at the site.
Casa das Bicas, built on the wall of a tower in the historic center next to Rua das Bicas Velhas and Largo D. Pedro I, would come to reveal a surprise.
RTP report in 2008. Confirmation of the public baths building from the 19th century. XII.
Antonieta Canteiro, Museography Technician at CML, was part of the working group that followed the archaeological workshops since 2006 and recalls the charm of children and the emotion of discovery.
With the impulse of the works for the historic center of the last years, project to musealize the hamman Casa dos Barreto gained a new lease of life and a protocol was signed with the Mértola Archaeological Field to support the excavation process.
Ten years after the work of the archaeological works, Antonieta Canteiro calls herself work, beginning, of having been part of this work history: beginning that is an emotion. And ends: “This space transports us back in time to the atmosphere of the time”.