Maiden bath, Derbent / Девичья баня, Дербент

Что внутри Девичьей бани... Главной особенностью бани были теплые полы, то есть уже тогда в 13 веке в Дербенте бани были с теплыми полами! Смотрите и слушайте о других интересных подробностях женской бани Дербента. The museum complex “Maiden Bath“ is located in the old part of Derbent, not far from the oldest mosque in Russia, the Juma Mosque. Nowadays the maiden baths have turned into a museum with the exposition “Culture and Life of Ancient Derbent“, but from the XIX century to the 1950s it was actively used for its direct purpose. In fact, it was here that girls were washed before the wedding ceremony. In the undressing room, where visitors have a long narrow staircase, now are museum exhibits, telling about the life of Derbent girls of the XIX century. The guide will tell how the ritual of purification before marriage was performed, what kind of introduction was given to a girl and much more. For example, she was brought to the bathhouse by her father, but the next man who would see a pure (in body and soul) girl would be her lawful spouse. In fact, the ceremony of ablutions was somewhat similar to a modern bachelorette party. The bride was washed in a separate room, in a low passage from the bath-hall. And afterwards the girls drank sugary-sweet sorbet, listened to music, and socialized for the last time, because after the wedding the present bride was already washed in another place. Next to the maiden’s bath there was a women’s bath, where the recent maidens would go for a bath. Tourists cannot go there because it was closed for repairs in 1991. The passages between the rooms are quite low, which is done to preserve intimacy: only the legs of the woman performing ablutions are visible outside. Джума мечеть