El Bañuelo

El Bañuelo, also known as the Little Bath, is one of the best-preserved public Arab baths on the Iberian Peninsula. The historic building stands in the important Albaicín district of Granada, directly across from the Alhambra and close to the north bank of the Darro River. Scholars still debate exactly when it was built, though most experts place it in the eleventh century, during the Zirid dynasty. The bath may have been built during the reign of Bādīs ibn Zīrī and was originally part of the Qawraya military district. A location on a major street and near a city gate was typical for Andalusian baths, since they were built in densely populated areas to meet the needs of the local population.

The building consists of an entrance courtyard and three rooms, each with its own function. Visitors first entered the bath through an antechamber, where they undressed. They then passed into the cooling room, whose temperature matched the outside air, before reaching the central hall with its marble floor. The last room served as the heated warm room, recognizable by openings in the walls used for heating. The architecture is defined by brick masonry, barrel vaults, and domes. One special feature is the star-shaped light that streams in through openings in the walls and also provides ventilation. The masonry was originally plastered and probably painted.

From the eleventh to the sixteenth century, the Bañuelo was used as a bath, but it then fell into disrepair and was put to other uses. Not until the twentieth century was the historical value of this Islamic building recognized again, leading to extensive restoration work. Today it is a popular tourist attraction. Right nearby stands a hospital building from the fourteenth century, the Bimārestān, which was known in Europe for treating mental illness.