TEHRAN – Hammam-e Zerhan, which is a mud-brick domed bathhouse in Tuyserkan county of Hamedan province, will undergo restoration to regain its former splendor, the deputy provincial tourism chief has said.

Various layers of the exterior and roofs, as well as the interiors spaces and decorations of the historical monument, would be the subject of the rehabilitation project, Seyyedeh Maryam Mokhtari-Mousavi added on Friday.

Bathhouses or ‘hammams’ in Iran were not only places for bathing and cleaning up. They had a social concept for people who gathered at these places weekly. It was a place where people talked with each other about their daily life and shared humor and news.

There are still functional bathhouses in various Iranian cities but they do not have their social function anymore since most people have bathrooms in their homes due to the modern lifestyle.

Known in classical times as Ecbatana, Hamedan was once one of the world’s greatest cities of ancient times. Pitifully little remains from antiquity, but significant parts of the city center are given over to excavations, and there’s a scattering of historical curiosities.

AFM