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Istanbul, Turkey 14 February 2008 - A common scene in Çemberlitas Hamam, typical tukish bath. This bath is one of the structures built by the architect Sinan, in 1584. .Hamam (from Arabic 'ammam) is the Middle Eastern variant of a steam bath, which can be categorized as a wet relative of the sauna. They have played an important role in cultures of the Middle-East, serving as places of social gathering, ritual cleansing, and as architectural structures, institutions, and (later) elements with special customs attached to them. .Photo: EZEQUIEL SCAGNETTI / Photoshelter