Arab Baths of Jaén

In the Islamic world, cleaning the body is a religious obligation that every Muslim must do before each of the five daily prayers. Since not all citizens could afford to have a bath in their homes, public baths or hammams were widely available. The Arab baths of Jaén are one of the largest known examples of Andalusi bathhouses.

Known as Hamman al-wallad ("the baths of the boy"), they were built in 1002 during the caliphate period, where old Roman baths were located. The bathhouse was refurbished during the Almohad period in the 12th century. After Ferdinand III conquered the city in 1246, the baths were used during the early years of Christian rule until they were repurposed as tanneries.

In the 16th century, Don Fernando de Torres y Portugal, the Count of Villardompardo and Viceroy of Peru, built himself a private palace on top of the baths, which resulted in them being hidden for centuries. They were only definitively rediscovered by Enrique Romero de Torres in 1913 during a survey of historic buildings in the city. Archeological studies later followed and the site was declared a Cultural Heritage Property of Spain in 1931. 1936

Restoration works began in 1936, but they were interrupted by the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. In 1970, work resumed on the building, and restoration was completed in 1984. Today it is open to visitors as a historical attraction as part of the Villardompardo Palace.

The complex has four main rooms: the changing room (Bayt al-maslaj) features a floor covered with white marble and a ceiling with 18 star-shaped skylights. The cold room (Bayt al-barid) also has a half-barrel with 15 skylights. The warm room (Bayt al-wastani) is covered by a large dome, which rests on arches supported by eight columns. The hot room (Bayt al-sajum) is located closest to the boilers. Hidden chambers allowed hot air to circulate, warming up the floor and walls. This one is also covered with a half-barrel vault illuminated by  15 skylights and alcoves at each end.