The Ottoman baths of Larissa ( Greek: Οθωμανικά λουτρά της Λάρισας), in Ottoman times known as the Great Baths ( Turkish: Büyük Hamam), [1] is a partially preserved Ottoman bath ( hamam) in Larissa, Greece.
The baths are located at the junction of Eleftheriou Venizelou and Filellinon streets. [1] [2] The date of its construction and its founder are unknown, [1] but may be the work of the heirs of Turahan Bey in the 15th century. [2] From 19th-century archives it is known that in the 17th century the baths belonged to the vakf of the Sheikh yahya Hamevi Kadri tekke. [1]
Originally the structure occupied the entire block, [2] but already by the time of the annexation of Thessaly into Greece in 1881, it had ceased to function as a bath and its interior had been divided into smaller shops. [1] As a result of the various uses and alterations imposed on the building, the state of preservation is poor. [1] At present, only a portion of the original building survives, in large part incorporated in the newer buildings erected there in modern times. [2] The original bath had a monumental character, as exemplified by the surviving 13 metres (43 ft) diameter dome, and comprised an elongated structure with two large domes, with rooms arranged on the east-west axis. [1] Today the large central dome of the vestibule of the men's section survives, which now houses a series of shops on Eleftheriou Venizelou Street, as well as smaller domed halls in the basement and the ground level with the passages connecting them. [1] [2]