Greek inscription
“We built this bath to fulfil a heartfelt desire for our homeland. May everyone bathe in it and offer prayers for our health. May all people, rich and poor, bathe here. God grants wishes to those who make an effort.”
Built 1726–1727
A city bathhouse, three centuries in.
Ürgüp Hamam was built in 1726–1727 and restored in 1900–1902. It has been part of the town's civic life ever since — and it still works as a bathhouse.
Four moments.
1726–1727
Construction of the bathhouse
Old records place the construction of the Ürgüp city bath in 1726–1727, in the era of Damat İbrahim Pasha. Built in the quarter then home to the town's Greek community, it became a shared civic bath for all of Ürgüp.
1900–1902
Documented restoration
A documented restoration consolidates the stonework and the working parts of the bath while keeping its original layout.
Until 1924
A bath shared by two communities
Turkish and Greek residents lived together in Ürgüp until the population exchange, and both communities used the bathhouse as part of the town's everyday life.
Today
Still a working bath
The building still does what it was built to do: it is a working Turkish bath in the centre of Ürgüp that visitors can experience, not only observe.
The inscription
One civic story, recorded in two languages.
The marble inscription above the entrance is written in Greek and in Karamanlı — Turkish written with Greek letters. Together, the two texts describe a community work made possible by shared effort, and they preserve the name of its builder, Haralambos Hacı Savva.
Karamanlı Turkish inscription
“This bath was built through the voluntary efforts and contributions of our Cappadocian people. May everyone bathe in it with pleasure, and may God give strength to all who helped. Builder: Haralambos Hacı Savva.”
Today
A working Turkish bath in a Cappadocian town.
The building has not been turned into a museum display. Its historic rooms now meet professional hammam and massage care, in the same town centre the bath has served for nearly three centuries.