Isabeg Hammam

Isabeg Hammam 

Isabeg Hamma is one of the oldest buildings in Novi Pazar. It is as old as the town itself. It was built by the town founder, Isa-beg Ishakovic in the 15th century. It is a significant ancient object, built in an oriental manner, and is one of the oldest objects on the Serbian territory. Some written documents, where this object was mentioned, date back to 1489. Isabeg Hammam is part of the Old Bazaar. The very construction is impressive. Although a pretty imposing thing by its size, it did not have warm water. On the contrary, there was a separate building where the water was heated by a burning fire, which was later used in the Hammam.

The Most Typical Representative of the Islamic Architecture 

Isabeg Hammam is the first and the oldest Hammam in Novi Pazar. Based on the recent archeological excavation, it is established that there was one more hammam, where the nowadays Museum of Novi Pazar was built. Isabeg Hammam consisted of a couple of rooms, with separated men’s and women’s areas. Just as in any other hammam, the first room you were met by was the fountain. In the original plan, Isabeg Hammam did not have a fountain, but it was built later. From the fountain, you were met by the kapaluk  (preparation room), which was the center of all town events. This room served as the post-bathing-rest place as well as the treasury of the most interesting events and stories behind them. 

Today, Hammam is not functional anymore because it is severely affected by the ravages of time. However, the interior of the Hammam is turned into a caffe, where you can enjoy coffee within the ambient which is beyond this time.