Twice restored 657-year-old hammam vandalized

MANİSA

The 657-year-old İshak Paşa Hammam, which was restored twice in 10 years, was vandalized by unidentified people.

Graffiti was seen on the walls of the historical hammam, whose wooden door was also broken and pillaged.

İshak Paşa Hammam, also known as ‘Çukur Hamamı’ among locals, was built 657 years ago by İshak Çelebi, the son of Saruhan Bey, together with the Great Mosque in western province of Manisa, which was conquered during the Sarukhanids dynasty period.

The hammam was restored by the General Directorate of Foundations in 2006 yet was damaged again shortly after due to neglect.

In 2015, Şehzadeler Municipality has spent 30,000 Turkish Liras to restore the historical hammam for the second time and the work was completed in 2016. After the restoration, the key to the hammam was given to İshakçelebi local authorities to be used as a funeral house.

The hammam was kept closed since the Covid-19 pandemic and it was recently vandalized and plundered by unidentified people.

The hammam’s door is welded with an iron railing to prevent further damage, and it will be restored again within the scope of the cooperation protocol signed by Manisa Municipality and İzmir Regional Directorate of Foundations.