Public Restroom
Sık Dişini Public Toilet, a public toilet in Tokat province, Turkey, estimated to have been built in the 15th century.
It is located on Halit Street, adjacent to the historic Sulu Street Market. The 15th-century structure is thought to be “Anatolia's first public toilet.” In 2021, it became the Water and Sanitation Museum. It is believed to have been created by converting one of the square rooms covered with a dome in an Ottoman bathhouse into a toilet with wooden partitions inside.
It has a flat-arched door on the south facade. The walls are built of rubble stone, while the dome and pendentives are built of brick. The upper part of the entrance door wall on the south facade features a stone-brick alternating technique.
The building was used as a warehouse in the 19th century and suffered damage. In 2021, it was restored by the Tokat Municipality and converted into the Water and Sanitation Museum. The building served as a public toilet until the 19th century. Due to its high usage, it is thought to have been referred to by the public as the “squeeze-your-teeth public toilet.” Süheyl Ünver named this building “Şeyh Tusi Helası” in his notes on Tokat.
