25.ULUSLARARASI ORTAÇAĞ VE TÜRK DÖNEMİ KAZILARI VE SANAT TARİHİ ARAŞTIRMALARI
Yayıncı:
Necmettin Erbakan Üniversitesi Yayınları
The bath is in Aksaray province, central Sofular neighborhood, plot 1 of block2448. The building, which dates to the Seljuk period and was a double bath, became an archaeological site as a result of not being used for a long time and its surroundings and interior being filled. The expropriation work was completed by Aksaray Municipality in 2013, and the excavation of the Turkish bath was carried out under the chairmanship of the curator of Aksaray Museum Yusuf Altun, with the participation of Prof. Dr. Haşim Karpuz, Prof. Dr. Osman Eravşar, Assist. Prof. Dr. Osman Nuri Dülgerler. The excavation lasted about two months, and the preparation and implementation of the restoration project were done by Dr. O.N.Dülgerler. 1.Material and Technique: In both parts of the structure, rubble stone and brick with coursed freestone were used. Brick was mostly used in the construction of the vaults and domes that form the top cover. 2.Structural Elements: The bath, which was not used for almost a century, was buried in the ground, and so became an archaeological site. It has been observed that the mortars of load-bearing walls of the structure were largely dissolved and partially demolished, and niches were formed. The remaining parts of the top cover are suspended. The unique Turkish triangles marked with bricks on the Apodyterium (Soyunmalık) and cold part including in entrance disrobing boxes and sometimes toilets are called frigidarium (Soğukluk) part of the men’s sections have survived to the present day. 3.Plan Elements (Design): The bath was designed as a classical double Turkish bath. It is understood that the women’s section was built later. The men’s section has a domed “soyunmalık”, “soğukluk”, and a corner cell type heat section with four cross-like iwans. We see those two interconnected spaces in the east of the “soğukluk” are defined as “Keçelik” (felt makers spaces). In the plan published by İ.H.Konyalı, we see that a door has been added from the outside. The women’s section also consists of a “soyunmalık” and “sıcaklık” with three iwans and two private rooms. (Caldarium is the hottest part, including a central space surrounded by semi-open spaces called iwans (eyvans) and private rooms called as “halvets” which are private rooms). Water was found to be carried from the water tank to the iwans and private rooms through a single terracotta pipe. Apertures were created by placing chimney-shaped stone-walled or terracotta pipes in the middle of the domes and vaults. Moreover, terracotta pipes and tüteklik (pipes that expel polluted air) were incorporated.
