by Fiona Flores Watson

5 Fascinating Facts about Granada

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BATHS

Visiting the ´´hammam´´ or public bathhouse was an essential pastime, both for hygiene and social reasons, in Moorish Granada - they were important meeting places for both sexes (on separate days), as well as having religious significance. Originally there were literally hundreds of public baths in the city, and one of the few remaining complete examples is El Bañuelo on Carrera del Darro, which dates from 11th century. It consists of a series of perfectly preserved brick-vaulted chambers with typical horseshoe-shaped arches, used as cool, warm and hot rooms, with pretty, star-shaped skylights which let light in, and steam out.