Vakil Bath House (Hammam) in Shiraz
When Karim Khan Zand chose Shiraz as its’ capital, he decided to build few public buildings in the city. He is credited to have built a mosque, bazaar, bath, water storage and a arg (citadel).
This hammam is located in the historical centre of Shiraz, close to the Vakil Mosque and the bazaar with the same name. Vakil bath house goes back to the Zand era of Shiraz. This building was built by Karim Khan Zand in the 18th century. In the past, this building was used as a restaurant and a carpet museum.
At the time of its construction, private baths in homes were far and few so this place was a magnet for the locals. This bath house wasn’t only a place of taking hot or cold bath but also a social place for the locals.
People would often sit and wait for their turn in order to get the treatment they require in this bath house. Bathing process sometimes involved more than one services, for example, a barber area, massage area, skin treatment to name few.
This building is closed from all sides but it has plenty of natural sunlight and fresh air circulating in it and it also makes a good stop to see the Persian architecture.
