Sefferine

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Typology Major Findings:- Hammam Seffarine should be restored as one of the most interesting public baths in Fez, especially with regard to the undressing room of its historical section, as this is one of the rare meshlah of the city that still preserves the original layout and decorative features. It also displays the traditional Roman hypocaust heating system and the original furnace. Moreover, despite of its state of deterioration this hammam is still in function, serving the local community on a daily basis. The practice of going to the hammam is, in fact, still very lively in Morocco, in contrast with other Mediterranean areas. In particular, in Fez this is evident not only in poor areas, but also in recently developed wealthy quarters, where new hammams are still being built, in spite of the fact that the existing dwellings have their own private bathroom conveniences. Hammams remain one of the essential urban facilities of Moroccan cities, together with the medersa and the mosque. Moreover, as observed in the contemporary hammam visited in Fez Jdid, not only the layout of new public structures is based on the traditional axial typology of historical hammams, but also some traditional bathers’ facilities have been retained, as the original bucket system for collecting water. All this leads to the conclusion that a proper restoration of hammam Seffarine, which should assess two important issues related to smoke pollution caused by the use of wood chip in the furnace, and to the necessity of making the bath and its surroundings adequate to contemporary safety standards, would provide the collectivity with a totally efficient and sustainable structure.

- Hammam Seffarine is an almost unique example of hammam in Fez consisting of two adjoining and independent baths: one assigned to women and one to men (this section has been added in more recent times).
- It is one of the rare public baths in Fez which still preserves the undressing room in its original layout and decorative elements.
- It also preserves the traditional hypocaust heating system and the original furnace.
- Unlike the free-standing hammams of Turkey and Egypt, and in line with the rest of public baths in Fez, hammam Seffarine is adjacent to other buildings, in order to reduce heat loss through the walls.
- In contrast with Turkish and Egyptian hammams, the entrance of the case study is anonymous and does not bear any particular decoration or advertising sign. This is another characteristic of the hammams in Fez.
- Unlike Mameluk and Ottoman hammams, which are typified by the central organization of the bathing spaces, hammam Seffarine shows a linear and axial layout, as distinctive of the typology of public baths in Morocco.