Hammam at Ronda
Ronda, Spain

The public baths at Ronda, dating to the thirteenth century, were probably commissioned under Almohad rule. Located in San Miguel, the medieval Arabic quarter of the city, just east of the local citadel these thermal baths were intentionally positioned close to the Culebra River where water could be generated for the baths through a waterwheel. The baths are constructed in baked brick and masonry with some pockets of tile, wood and marble. From the north, one enters a colonnaded courtyard with a pool situated at its center. The building follows a rectangular plan and is organized into three tunnel-vaulted sections, including a caldarium, an apodyterium (changing room), and a frigidarium. The roof features cupolas with glass skylights. Today, the baths at Ronda are among the best preserved Islamic sites in Europe.


Sources:


Goodwin, Godfrey. 1990. Islamic Spain. London: Penguin Group, 97-100.


Michell, George. ed. 1978. Architecture of the Islamic World; Its History and Social Meaning. London: Thames & Hudson, 214.


Prince, Danforth and Porter, Darwin. 2003. Frommer's Spain 2003. New York: Wiley Publishing, Inc., 291.


"Ronda Monuments." The Online Guide to Ronda, Andalucia. http://www.ronda.to/ronda_monuments.htm. [Accessed February 14, 2007]

Location
s/n Calle Molino de Alarcón, Ronda, Spain
Images & Videos
Events
12th-13th c.
Style Periods
1130-1269
Variant Names
Moorish Baths
Variant
Banos Arabes
Variant
Building Usages
baths