Hammam from Khankurgan

Abstract

The authors publish the results of architectural and archaeological research of the medieval bath house carried out on the territory of the settlement Khankurgan in 2015–2016. During the excavations, six rooms were unearthed, two of which were built of burned bricks and turned out to be “steam rooms” with an underfloor heating system, the remaining four were frame rooms – “washing rooms”. All rooms are covered with waterproof mortar and plaster. Their original layer was decorated with red-brown drawings, carved stucco and moldings. The plaster has been updated more than twenty times in the course of multiple repairs. Two major reconstructions of the bathhouse were recorded, which did not affect the "hot" rooms, due to which their original layout was preserved. The stages of restructuring and repair work for the entire period of operation of the hammam are determined. The Khankurgan bath house is well preserved and is a unique example of medieval architecture of the Samanid era, it belongs to rather early examples of such structures that arose at the middle of the 9th century. Functioning until the middle of the 11th century, it gives us a represent of the features of the architectural and construction techniques used in the building of the baths of the pre-Mongolian era in Kazakhstan. Hammam Khankurgan, being a vivid example of the medieval architecture, allows to determine the time of the emergence of this culture in the Ispidzhab historical and cultural region, clarifying its planning, constructive and shaping principles, reflecting in general the cultural and economic connection of the region with the Muslim world.

Keywords

• archaeology
• architecture
• bathhouse
• hammam
• hypocaust
• plaster
• pottery
• glaze
• epigraphy
• complex
• samanids
• ispidzhab