There's good news for foot-weary tourists - ancient hammams (Arab baths) have been making a triumphant return after centuries of neglect. And not before time, since they are as indelible a part of the 800-year Moorish legacy as architectural stunners such as the Alhambra.
Hundreds of neighbourhood hammams once existed, acting as much as social clubs as locations for Islamic hygiene rituals, and were used by men and women alike. It was with the return of Catholic traditions to southern Spain, after the completion of the reconquest in 1492, that the doors of these vapoury retreats closed, leaving them to crumble silently.
