900-year-old baths found in southeastern Turkey

ŞANLIURFA

The remains of a 12th century bath have been discovered in southeast Turkey, the head of the archeological dig said on Dec. 22.

The baths date back to the Zengids, a Turkic dynasty that ruled the Levant and Upper Mesopotamia on behalf of the Seljuks, excavation leader Mehmet Önal said. 

At the site in Harran, the Şanlıurfan province bordering Iraq, Önal’s team uncovered domed cooling and heating rooms dating back 900 years, he told reporters. 

Nur ad-Din Zengi, who succeeded his father in 1146, ruled for nearly 30 years until the Zengid dynasty was replaced in Syria by the Ayyubids led by Saladin. 

Önal said both leaders, who together ousted the Crusaders from the Middle East, may have used the baths when visiting Harran, which served as an important royal residence at the time.