Turkish aid agency to restore Ottoman hammam in Kosovo

By Figen Shaban and Furkan Abdula

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AA) – The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) is going to restore an Ottoman hammam (bath) in the Kosovar capital Pristina and an agreement was signed on Tuesday to this end.

TIKA, Kosovo’s Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, and the Pristina Municipality signed a memorandum of understanding for the restoration of the Fatih Hammam.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, TIKA Pristina Coordinator Hasan Burak Ceran said they would restore the historical building and this would contribute to tourism in Pristina.

Veton Firzi, the secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, thanked TIKA and the Pristina Municipality for helping them to protect the cultural heritage in Kosovo.

Mayor of Pristina Shpend Ahmeti also thanked TIKA for the projects they carried out in Pristina.

Ahmeti said the hammam was partly damaged and it should be saved.

"Therefore, we brought experts from Turkey and we will try to save as much as we can," Ahmeti said.

The Fatih Hammam, also known as the Great Hammam, was built by the Ottomans in the 15th century and was named after the Ottoman ruler Sultan Mehmed II, who is more famously known as Fatih (the Conqueror) Sultan Mehmed.

*Fatih Hafiz Mehmet contributed to this story from Ankara.