The "Tas" is an indispensable Hamam accessory. Traditionally you scoop the water in the Hamam for the shower. At home, it can be used for a sensual, stimulating contrast shower to feel the power of an oriental water massage and to shower small children.
The tas indicated the social status of its owner. For the elite, silver or even gold was used to make the tas, decorated with intricate embossed or incised floral or vegetal decorations. For ordinary people, tas were made of copper or even tin. But every person had a tas which was taken to the bath. Usually, the centre has a small rising mount on which sat the soap, while the outer surround of it was always decorated in some way.
Even today in Turkey, but also in Northern Cyprus, gifts are prepared at tourist shops comprising of a tas, a soap and a piece of elif or loofa, the natural vegetal material for scrubbing one’s body.
The ‘Did You Know’ series is made possible with the support of OPAP (Cyprus) and Active Citizens Fund.
