The Roman Bath which was built by the
Roman Emperor Caracalla (212-217), the son of
Septimius Severus in the 3rd century to the honor of the
God of Health Asklepion is one of the important historical places of
Ankara.
The Roman Bath which reflects the characteristic structural elements of
Roman cities comprises one courtyard and centrally heated sections . The dimensions of the bath which is made of stones and bricks is 80x130m and at the entrance there stands an area where once physical activities were carried out. The cool room
Frigidarium stands behind the sporting area and on the left there is the swimming pool and the dressing rooms known as
Apoditarium. In the second row there stands the
Tepidarium ( warm room) and at the back the hot room
Calidarium. This layout reflects all characteristics of a typical
Roman Bath. Heating in the bath was provided through a system known as
Hypocaust in which the hot air circulates between the stone pillars on the floor.
The Roman Bath was destroyed in the 7th century AD. On the other hand , the findings obtained during the excavations carried out by the
Turkish History Institution during 1938-1943 point out that this building has been in use for 500 years. Today the building is open to public daily except Mondays under the supervision of the
General Directorate of Monuments and Museums as an open air museum.
