The Moorish Baths are actually located in the Gibraltar Museum in Bomb House Lane. They lie partly under the Museum and also under the neighbouring Ordnance House.
Believed to date back to around 1335 when the main hall of the baths was thought to have been twice the current size but it was partly destroyed in the 1779 Great Siege.
The Moorish Baths has a central dome with 6 arches which are supported on columns of polished stone. The main hall was likely to have had small rooms separated by curtains and each room was lit by natural light from star-shaped openings in the ceiling.
Bathing for the Moors was not just for pleasure or hygiene, but part of the religious practice known as hamman.
There were 3 rooms - cold, warm and hot. The cold room ws for undressing. The warm and hot rooms with their pools hd high humidity causing perspiration in order to clean out the pores. At the side of the pools were rest areas where it was possible to have a haircut or massage. |  |
There was a cold room which had a higher ceiling than other rooms which retained the cooler temperatures and contained shallow cold baths.
The hot room is entered through a large round arch and the steam was likely to have been located at the north end and the hot plunge bath on the southern side. Underfloor ducts can be clearly seen and hot air would have been pumped through from the boiler room next door.
The Moorish Baths in Gibraltar are believe to be the best-preserved in the Iberian Peninsula and should not be missed.
Open:
Monday - Friday : 10:00-18:00
Saturday : 10:00-14:00
There is an entrance fee [no credit cards] which covers a tour of the baths.
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