Maiden's Bath in the old part of Derbent

The museum complex "Maiden's Bath" is located in the old part of Derbent, near the oldest mosque in Russia, the Juma Mosque. The vaulted baths are one of the attractions of Derbent. This is a traditional type of structure typical for the East. Such baths played a significant role in a Muslim city, being an integral part of its social life, just like mosques and bazaars. The bath in the Caucasus, as in the East, served not only for washing but also for strengthening the body, uplifting the spirit, for rest, friendly and business conversations. The ancient Derbent baths are vaulted-domed structures sunken 2-3 meters into the ground, illuminated by natural light entering through openings in the domes and vaults, having considerable size and a rather complex layout. The Maiden's Bath was built in the 13th century following the type of ancient Eastern baths and was intended exclusively for the washing of girls. Before the wedding, the bride, accompanied by her friends, visited the bath to perform a pre-wedding ritual — washing. The washing turned into a pre-wedding ritual. The Maiden's Bath is located in the 7th magala of the old town, 50 meters from Orta-Kapa and 50 meters from the Juma Mosque. On the northern side, it adjoins the so-called Women's Bath from the 17th century. To the south and east are residential buildings, and to the west is a street leading from Orta-Kapa to the Juma Mosque. The Maiden's Bath is a vaulted-domed structure sunken 2.2 meters into the ground, illuminated by natural light through openings in the domes and vaults. The facade of the Maiden's Bath building measures 13 meters 80 centimeters in length, with a height above street level of 3.50 meters. The facade walls have five pointed-arch niches, 10 centimeters deep. On the facade wall, there are two doorways: one leads to the boiler room, and the other to the bath itself. Above the entrance door to the Maiden's Bath building, a slab of hewn stone is set into the wall, on which in Arabic script is engraved: "In the name of Allah the Merciful, this structure of the Maiden's Bath is donated to the Juma Mosque in the year 1322 of the Hijra." Three stone gutters for water drainage are installed on the facade to divert atmospheric precipitation. The roof is a domed-vaulted structure made of hewn limestone. The roofing is made of natural kira stone with an earthen thermal insulation layer. The bath's boiler room (kulkhana) measures 7.80 meters in length and 4.50 meters in width. The covering is vaulted-arched. Eleven stone steps lead into the boiler room. Opposite the entrance, there is an arched niche in the wall — the furnace for the Maiden's Bath. To the left was the furnace for the women's bath, built in the 17th century. Thus, both bath rooms were heated from one boiler room. To the left of the steps is a place for stacking firewood, as the boiler room was heated by wood. At the site of the furnace for the women's bath, there is currently an opening — an entrance to the women's bath to connect the two baths.

Today, the Maiden's Bath has been transformed into a museum with an exhibition titled "Culture and Life of Ancient Derbent," but from the 19th century until the 1950s, it was actively used for its original purpose.

It was here that girls were washed before the marriage ceremony. In the dressing room, which visitors enter by descending a long narrow staircase, there are now museum exhibits telling about the life of Derbent girls in the 19th century. The guide explains how the cleansing ritual was performed before the wedding, what dowry was given with the girl, and much more.

For example, the girl was brought to the bath by her father, and the next man to see the pure (both in body and soul) girl would be her lawful husband. In essence, the washing ritual resembled a modern bachelorette party. The bride washed in a separate room, accessed through a low passage from the bath hall. Afterward, the girls drank cloyingly sweet sherbet, listened to music, and socialized for the last time, because after the wedding, the bride would wash in a different place.

Next to the Maiden's Bath was the women's bath, where recently married girls went to bathe. Tourists are not easily allowed into these premises because the bath has been closed for renovation since 1991. The passages between the rooms are very low, designed to preserve intimacy: from the outside, only the legs of the woman performing the washing are visible.

Source:

https://derbentmuseum.ru/portfolio/devichja-banja-xiii-v/

https://welcomedagestan.ru/placepost/devichya-banya/