Hammam as an Institution of Cultural Exchange in Iranian Folk Literature

Document Type : Original Research

Authors
Najmeh Dorri 1
shima mousavi 2
1 TARBIAT MODARES UNIVERSITY
2 Tarbiat modares university
Abstract
Beyond their hygienic functions and contributions to public health, the hammam (a traditional public bath in Iran) has played a central role in the cultural and social life of communities, serving as one of the most frequented communal spaces. Despite numerous studies on the Iranian hammam, most have focused on its architecture, ethnography, or hygienic functions, while the folk literature associated with the hammam—including poems, proverbs, rituals, and popular narratives—has rarely been examined independently. Aiming to address this gap, the present study investigates the position of the hammam as an institution of cultural exchange in folk literature. Within this framework, it first analyzes wedding poems and songs performed during celebratory rituals, whose performance was well suited to the architectural and acoustic characteristics of the hammam, particularly its echoes and reverberations. It then examines the presence of the hammam as a spatial element in the formation of folk narratives, including stories of supernatural beings. Finally, 251 proverbs related to the hammam are collected and analyzed, reflecting people's everyday attitudes, beliefs, and experiences regarding this space. The research adopts a descriptive-analytical method based on library and documentary sources. The findings show that the poems, rituals, and proverbs associated with the hammam reflect its deep presence in the collective imagination and vernacular of the people, clearly illustrating the social status of bathhouse attendants, the common fear of darkness and dampness in the hammam, and the customs surrounding wedding ceremonies.
Keywords
hammam in Iranian culture
bath-related proverbs
folk beliefs Regarding the hammam
Cultural Exchange and the Role of the hammam in Traditional Iranian Life.
Subjects
Al-e Ahmad, J. (1973). The Tat-Speaking Inhabitants of the Zahra District. Aras.
Dehkhoda, A.-A. (1998). Dehkhoda Dictionary (M. Moein & S. Jafari Shahidi, Eds.). University of Tehran Press.
Karimi, A. (2010). Hammam. In M. Rouholamini (Ed.), Encyclopedia of the Culture of the People of Iran (Vol. 3, pp. 568–581). Center for the Great Islamic Encyclopedia.
Farouqi, O. (n.d.). The Folklore of Saqqez. Department of Culture and Arts.
Ghasemi, M., Hatam, G.-A., & Tehrani, F. (2018). Reconsidering the place of history and popular culture in traditional Iranian hammams: The continuity of customs, practices, and beliefs related to bathing. Historical Studies of Iran and Islam, 12(22), 133–152.
Gharai, Y. (2000). The Living Stream. Zemestan.
Hedayat, S. (1955). Neyrangestan: The Land of Superstitions. Amir Kabir.
Ibn Khaldun, A. (1984). The History of Ibn Khaldun (A.-M. Ayati, Trans., Vols. 2–4). Institute for Cultural Studies and Research.
Isfahani, I. (1375 AH). The Jewel of the Palace and the Journal of the Age (M. Bahjat al-Athari & J. Sa'd, Eds., Vols. 6 & 12). Publications of the Iraqi Academy of Sciences.
Javid, H. (2003). Music and the hammam. Ketab-e Mah-e Honar, (57–58), 44–47.
Madanipour, A. (2008). Public and Private Spaces of the City. Urban Processing and Urban Planning Company.
Mashayekhi, M.-J. (2009). The Folklore of Taybad and Bakharz. Mohaqqeq.
Mirnia, A. (1990). The Culture of the People: Iranian Folklore. Parsa.
Molaei Tavani, A., & Gholampour, M. (2014). The hammam and bathing in Iranian culture during the Qajar era: From the beginning to the Constitutional Revolution. Cultural History Studies, (21), 121–148.
Najmi, N. (1987). Ancient Iran and Old Tehran. Janzadeh.
Nazari Dashli-Burun, Z., Haji Alimohammadi, H., Rahou, R., & Torabzadeh, A. (2005). The Anthropology of Abyaneh Village. Institute of Ethnography.
Nezami Arouzi Samarqandi, A. ibn U. (2001). The Four Discourses (M. Qazvini, Ed.). Jami.
Papeli Yazdi, M.-H. (2005). Memories of Shazdeh Hammam: A Glimpse into the Social Conditions of the City of Yazd in the 1930s and 1940s. Papeli.
Partovi Amoli, M. (2006). Historical Compendia (Vol. 1). Eshareh.
Pirnia, M.-K. (1995). An Introduction to the Islamic Architecture of Iran: Urban and Extra-Urban Buildings. Soroush Danesh.
Pourkarim, H. (1962). Fashandek. University of Tehran, Faculty of Letters, Institute of Social Studies and Research.
Razi, H. (1992). The Rite of Mithra (Mithraism). Bahjat.
Rouholamini, M. (2007). The Public Hammam in the Society, Culture, and Literature of the Past: An Anthropological Perspective and Study. Ettela'at.
Saeedi, S. (2007). The Folklore of Minab. Elshan.
Safi-Nejad, J. (1966). A Monograph of Deh Talebabad. Institute of Social Studies and Research.
Shabani, E.-A., & Jabbareh, S. (2014). The hammam and its social functions in the Middle Ages of Iranian history. Research Journal of Social and Economic History, 5(1), 89–109.
Tabasi, M. (2002). Revisiting the endowment deed and examining the physical structure of the Ali-Qoli Aqa neighborhood center. Soffeh, 12(35), 93–121.
Tabasi, M. (2013). An Introduction to the Hammams of Iran. Research Deputy of Islamic Azad University of Mashhad; Sokhan Gostar.
Tabasi, M. (2016). Hammams in Persian proverbs. Quarterly Journal of Folklore Culture and Literature, (11), 129–152.
Yazdanparast, H. (2007). The Letter of Iran. Ettela'at.
Zolfaghari, H. (2009). The Comprehensive Dictionary of Persian Proverbs. Moein.
Literary Research
Volume 23, Issue 91
Spring 2026
Pages 33-58