The restoration of the Arab Baths of La Zubia from 13th-century rural hamman, began this morning. If everything goes according to plan they will be open to the public in the first quarter of 2023.
Puri Lopez, the mayor of La Zubia and Rosa Gamero the Councilor for Culture visited the Arab Baths today to mark this historic event. They were accompanied by a team of archaeologists and architects, as well as quantity surveyors, who will be carrying out the rehabilitation. The City Council has invested more than 421,000 euros in this project.
Lopez and Gamero highlighted the fact that it is a historic moment for La Zubia because finally, a project that residents have been demanding for many decades is becoming a reality and that this government team has come to the rescue, putting the money on the table for the first-ever time.
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There have been many attempts over the past two decades to save this Arab facility, but no government team has received the financing. The works are now underway, thanks to the September credit release that was approved by the plenary session.
The first phase of rehabilitation of the Arab Baths will take approximately six months and include the exterior and interior repairs of the Zubian monument. In a second phase, however, the City Council will repair the gardens and provide access to the hamman’.
The Arab Baths in La Zubia are an excellent example of rural bath typology. Two of its three rooms, the ‘caldarium’ (hot water room) and the tepidarium (hot water room), are still standing. warm. The vestibule and both the frigidarium are preserved in part, as well as the woodshed.
The hypocaust (heating system for heating the hot water room) is located in the boiler area. It stands out because of its excellent conservation. It is composed of conical-shaped brick columns that organize the hot water room’s lower area,” explained Daniel Aguilera, Councilor for Tourism of La Zubia.
Independent barrel vaults cover the rooms of the Arab Baths the City Council will be rehabilitating. There are several skylights, some of which still retain their star-shaped shapes from the past. The period flooring is worth mentioning, as it reveals remnants of old alhanias such as the sewer which ran through the hot water room.
