Completed in 1741 in the Sultanahmet district, Cağaloğlu Hamamı was one of the last great hamams built in Constantinople under Ottoman rule. Begun by chief architect Süleyman Ağa and finished by Abdullah Ağa, it was erected to raise funds for the library of Sultan Mahmud I, housed inside the nearby Hagia Sophia mosque.
A double hamam with separate men's and women's sections, it keeps the traditional layout of Ottoman bathhouses while displaying the ornamentation of 18th-century Ottoman Baroque style. Its prestige has endured for centuries: Florence Nightingale, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, King Edward VIII and Kaiser Wilhelm II all bathed here.
Insider tip — Cagaloglu Hamami is one of the most celebrated hammams in Istanbul, built in 1741 near the Grand Bazaar and the Hagia Sophia. Its separate wings for men and women each feature a soaring domed caldarium with a star-pierced ceiling that dapples the marble interior in shifting light. The bathhouse has welcomed figures from royalty to celebrities and remains an authentic Ottoman bathing experience in the Sultanahmet district.
