The Old Van Hüsrev Pasha Bath (Double Bath) and its place in Ottoman architecture

ABSTRACT The fact that the ancient city of Van has been home to many civilisations and that very few structures belonging to these civilisations have survived to the present day, either intact or damaged, has made the city an important site for excavation and restoration work. An exemplar of this phenomenon is the Hüsrev Pasha Bathhouse, also referred to as the Double Bathhouse, which has endured to the present day with its roof in a state of collapse. There is a divergence of opinion regarding the structure, as there is no inscription indicating the identity of the architect or the date of construction. The bath is generally associated with the Hüsrev Pasha Complex, and is located in the central part of Old Van City, south of the Kızıl Minareli Mosque. It is hypothesised that the Çifte Hamam was constructed as part of the Hüsrev Pasha Complex, which was built in the 16th century. The initial section of the study provides a concise historical account and an analysis of the urban fabric of Old Van City. This is followed by a discussion of the emergence of bathhouses, Turkish Islamic bathhouse architecture, and the development of Ottoman bathhouse architecture. The second part of the study introduces all the features of the Van Hüsrev Pasha Bathhouse (Çifte Hamam). The evaluation section is prepared under two headings. In the initial section, a thorough architectural analysis of the Hüsrev Pasha Bathhouse is conducted, followed by a comparative study with other bathhouses that exhibit analogous characteristics. In the second part, the place of the structure in Ottoman bathhouse architecture is revealed. The conclusion section synthesises all evaluations related to the Hüsrev Pasha Bathhouse, presenting the findings obtained.