Through the Outer Gardens of the Saray - Strolling Through Istanbul: The Classic Guide to the City - page 85

5
hrough the
Outer Gardens
of the Saray
Our present stroll will take us from Haghia Sophia through the outer
courtyard of the Saray and its lower gardens. This area, at the very
apex of the old city, is almost totally cut of from the turbulent life
of modern Stamboul, shielded as it is by outer walls of the Saray.
Walking through these quiet gardens, it is difficult to imagine that
this was the site of the ancient town of Byzantium.
We shall begin our stroll in the great square before Haghia Sophia,
the heart of the ancient town. Before we leave the square we should at
least glance at a building which most tourists miss, prominent as it is,
probably because it is dwarfed by the imposing monuments around
it. This is the Hamam of Haseki Hürrem, which stands at the eastern
side of the park between Haghia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. This
splendid bath was commissioned by Süleyman the Magnificent in
the name of his wife Haseki Hürrem, better known in the West as
Roxelana. The hamam was designed by Süleyman's Chief Architect,
the great Sinan, and completed by him in the year 1556; it is perhaps
the finest bath which Sinan built in his long and illustrious career.
It is a double hamam, one end being for men, the other for women.
Each end consists of a great entrance hall with a vast dome; from here
one passes through a corridor with three small domes to the hararet,
also domed and surrounded by a series of little chambers for washing.
Notice the charming symmetry of the building and its gracious lines;
it is the most attractive and one of the most elaborate of the Turkish
baths in the city. The hamam has been splendidly restored, and it is
now open to the public as a gallery for the display of modern Turkish
carpets.