Edirne Central Palace Bath
Saray Hamam, one of the oldest baths in Ottoman History, is one of the two works of Saray-ı Atik architecture that has survived. The stone rooms and the Palace Bath where Mehmet the Conqueror was born carry the traces of the old palace (Saray-ı Atik) to the present day. This historical building, which has survived from 1365, is one of the most beautiful and oldest examples of Turkish bath architecture. Saray Hamam is an Ottoman Heritage. The only surviving structure from the period of the first Palace (Saray-ı Atik) built after the conquest of Edirne is the Palace Bath. While this bath served only the palace at first, it was opened to the public and dedicated to Selimiye. Some historians attribute the survivability of this bath to the fact that it was used during the construction years of Selimiye. It was added by Yıldırım Bayezid in the second half of the 14th century, within the grounds of the Old Palace built by Murat I between 1365-68. It is the only structure that has survived from the Old Palace intact. With the demolition of the Old Palace and the construction of the Selimiye Mosque, it was included in the Sultan Selim Foundation and turned into a public bath. The Palace Bath is one of the first examples of Turkish Bath Architecture to survive in Edirne. It is a double bath with a square plan. It consists of the men's section in the west and the women's section in the east. Three shops, which are adjacent to the western wall of the bath and covered with a flat roof, open out with large arches.
