La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
While out wandering last week (2-1/2 hours of walking) around the walls of the old city not far from the Alcázar (the royal palace), I came upon The Caliphal Baths, an Arab bathhouse complex I didn’t know anything about. The baths date back to the 10th century but were updated and in use until the 14th century when new baths were built nearby within the walls of the Alcázar, which had been the palace of the Umayyad Caliphate followed by the Almoravids and then the Almohads before being taken by the Christian conquerers.
The old baths were then buried and forgotten until they were accidentally uncovered for building work in 1691. Some of the elements were used for new building projects around the city, like vaulted ceilings in a nearby church. Then the baths were covered up again and not uncovered until 1903. Some study (and dating) was done, but they were again reburied until 1961 when they were excavated and studied more deeply for three years.
After a few more years, the baths were declared a Spanish Cultural Heritage Property. An exceptional renovation and restoration was done and the baths were converted into a museum opened in 2006. It cost me all of €1.50 to get in (because of my age, not my residency). And the guy at the desk didn’t even ask for proof that I was a senior. How insulting!
I learned that many elements are on display in the archaeology musuem, so I might just have to pay that place another visit. The restoration is well done. There was a welcome/overview video which was surprisingly very good (and played in Spanish and then in English). The signage, in Spanish and English, was well-written and translated. And I found the illustrations to be charming. A great discovery. I hope it doesn’t get buried again.
After my visit, I walked over to the Alcázar which, except for the gardens, has been closed for major restoration. But it was too late in the day. I’ll just wait a few weeks until the renovations are supposed to be done.
Can you just imagine sitting wrapped in your towel (partially) while Bette Midler and Barry Manilow performed? Maybe it’s not the Continental Baths, but it IS on the continent. (NOTE: If you don’t already know, Bette Midler performed at the gay bathhouse in the basement of the Ansonia Hotel in Manhattan in 1971 and 1972; Barry Manilow was her pianist and musical director.)
Mientras paseaba la semana pasada (2 horas y media a pie) por las murallas de la ciudad vieja, no lejos del alcázar (el palacio real), me encontré con los Baños Califales, un complejo de baños árabes del que no sabía nada. Los baños datan del siglo X, pero fueron actualizados y utilizados hasta el siglo XIV, cuando se construyeron unos nuevos baños cerca, dentro de las murallas del Alcázar, que había sido el palacio del califato omeya, luego de los almorávides y luego de los almohades antes de ser tomado por los conquistadores cristianos.
Las antiguas termas quedaron enterradas y olvidadas hasta que se descubrieron accidentalmente para obras en 1691. Algunos elementos se utilizaron para nuevos proyectos de construcción en la ciudad, como los techos abovedados de una iglesia cercana. Después, las termas se volvieron a cubrir y no se descubrieron hasta 1903. Se realizaron algunos estudios (y dataciones), pero volvieron a enterrarse hasta 1961, cuando se excavaron y estudiaron con mayor profundidad durante tres años. Tras unos años más, las termas fueron declaradas Bien de Interés Cultural Español. Se llevó a cabo una renovación y restauración excepcionales y las termas se convirtieron en un museo, inaugurado en 2006. La entrada me costó solo 1,50 €, debido a mi edad, no a mi residencia. Y el recepcionista ni siquiera me pidió pruebas de mi antigüedad. ¡Qué insultante!
Descubrí que muchos elementos se exhiben en el museo de arqueología, así que quizá tenga que volver a visitarlo. La restauración está bien hecha. Había un vídeo de bienvenida/resumen que fue sorprendentemente muy bueno (y se reprodujo primero en español y luego en inglés). La señalización, en español e inglés, estaba bien escrita y traducida. Y las ilustraciones me parecieron encantadoras. Un gran descubrimiento. Espero que no vuelva a quedar en el olvido.
Después de mi visita, caminé hasta el Alcázar, que, salvo los jardines, ha estado cerrado por reformas importantes. Pero ya era demasiado tarde. Esperaré unas semanas hasta que se supone que terminen las reformas.
¿Te imaginas estar sentado envuelto en una toalla (parcialmente) mientras Bette Midler y Barry Manilow actúan?Quizás no sean los Continental Baths, pero sí están en el continente. (NOTA: Si aún no lo sabes, Bette Midler actuó en los baños gay del sótano del Hotel Ansonia en Manhattan en 1971 y 1972; Barry Manilow fue su pianista y director musical).
NOTE TO SELF: Avoid the warm water room.
• En el siglo XI se produjeron dos asesinatos que provocaron la caída de ambos califatos. En 1016, el califa marroquí fue asesinado por sus propios esclavos en la sala de aguas calientes, y en 1024, el califa omeya fue capturado y ejecutado en la misma sala.
NOTA PARA MÍ: Evita la sala de agua tibia.
• Uno de los muchos tragaluces en forma de estrella.
• Supongo que esos no son los conductos originales.
• Ese ES el piso de baldosas original.
Click the thumbnails to enlarge.
Haz clic en las miniaturas para ampliar.
Amazing how it kept on being covered up again! I wonder what the water source was. Nearby river? I wonder if these are friends or attendants throwing water about? If it’s like the modern bath house, probably all sorts of shenaniganos. Boud.
Boud:
The Romans built three aqueducts in Córdoba and they were still in use into the 17th century. And the city is also on the Quadalquivir River. Sevilla, on the same river, had an aqueduct that was in use until the late 19th century.
Ever since hearing of it, I’ve been intrigued by the vision of Bette M. and Manilow performing in such a location as we know they did. Seems so utterly incongruous! Would never have ‘worked’ in any of the saunas I used to frequent! 🙂
Raybeard:
It’s great that there are some videos from their performances. I used to only be able to find one or two, but since a documentary was done, many more have surfaced. The Continental Baths was a different breed of bathhouse.
Remind me while lazing about and enjoying the, ahem, delights in the baths not to go into the room where the assignations’ took place. That could really put a damper on thing. But what a glorious architectural place! The remains bath today sure don’t look as opulent and grand.
Well, or so I hear.
Mistress Borghese:
I have never been to a bath house, not the gay ones (I swear), not the refurbished Arab baths here in Spain.
How wild that they shifted life over the years so often and then were buried and uncovered and re-buried over and over again until finally someone decided to make use of them, in a new way!
Question: when did Bette Midler perform here? 1691? 😁😁😁
Bob Slatten:
Bette Midler and Barry Manilow were brought back by the Christian monarchs. They loved that sort of thing.
Great home movies – we didn’t know you had these. 🙂
This was before Barry had his face plasticized. He looked better then.
I would have looked at that entrance and kept walking. This reminds me to not judge a book, or a bath, by it’s cover.
David:
I wish I could have seen them perform back then. But I’m not sorry I never set foot in a bathhouse at that time (well, or ever). I might not be here today. And I HAD looked at that entrance and continued walking twice, not bothering to read the sign. Maybe they should do something more interesting up top. Like Roman columns. We have enough of them.
Just what the doctor ordered for today…..a little nit of BETTE! Thank you.
The layers of history your fair city has! And even more astounding in my humble opinion is that is was all/mostly restored. Enjoy and thanks for sharing this.
Jim:
It does delight me that so much has been saved and restored over the years. So much had been lost.
And it just so happens that today, December 1st, is the Divine Miss M’s 80th birthday! Did you know that when you prepared this post or is it just a happy coincidence? I love Bette Midler. What a force of nature! And yes, I was a Barry Manilow fan back in the day too.
Debra:
I had no idea until after I posted and then started my online reading for the day. We were in a restaurant in Palm Springs when we lived there and Barry Manilow walked by and touched my shoulder as he passed!
What a place! These are wonderful photos, Mitch.
I did not know that Barry Manilow had been Bette Midler’s pianist and musical director!
Judy C:
Manilow is often referred to as her piano player but he was more. They did it for not much more than a year.
This is a TERRIFIC post! The baths are simply fascinating. Especially the old artwork. In the first photo, I can’t stop looking at the expression on the man’s (they’re all men in that picture, right?) face at the bottom left who is getting his hair washed and attended to. And then to see the tile floor in the artwork and a piece of the actual thing. I would definitely want to visit that place. Thank you for taking us there.
Now. On to Bette- was there ever an entertainer truly like her? I think not. Those early films are priceless. She was already a massive talent but she was still figuring out how to work the stage. Or…whatever you’d call that area she was performing from. She has given the world so much joy.
I’ll stop now.
Marymoon
Marymoon:
Those had to be all men in that picture. Seeing that portion of tile flower gave me a chill. I adore Bette Midler. The first time I saw her was on Johnny Carson that same year. I’ve been in love ever since.
The ancients certainly had a different view of modesty and nakedness than our modern day culture. Christianity introduced shame in regard to the human body. Love the Bette Midler clip.
ellen:
Well, I don’t think the Moors were all that big on nakedness either. The Romans on the other hand!
“There were two assassinations in the 11th century that led to the fall of two caliphates. In 1016, the Moroccan caliph was killed by his own slaves in the warm water room, and then in 1024, the Umayyad caliph was captured and executed in the same room.” – And you are standing right by those very columns!
Rade:
Yes! It was amazing to imagine that as I stood there.
Definitely avoid the warm-water room! Isn’t it amazing to think we can still see a tile floor from a thousand years ago?!
Steve:
I still am astounded by the floors and paths I walk here that people walked so long ago. The road to Sevilla is still intact in places. But the UK has that kind of history, too. Amazing.
What a fabulous (re)discovery! Beautiful columns…
I love those old clips of Bette at the Continental Baths with dear Barry (the footage was featured as an “extra” on the VHS of her Art or Bust show; I thought I had featured it somewhere on my blog, but I can’t find it). If you want a bit more of the entertainment (not that kind!) at the Continental – have a look/listen to opera diva Eleanor Steber’s show there! Jx
Jon:
Yes, I’ve seen that. There used to be much less (almost nothing) available on YouTube from those performances. So much more to see thanks to her and others.
What an interesting and beautiful place! I love the star-shaped skylights. I also love Bette Midler AND Barry Manilow.
Kelly:
Yes, I especially loved those skylights. My photos didn’t do them justice. I love Bette.
Ever see the 1970s movie The Ritz? Rita Moreno could also have played there.
Kirk:
I remember Rita Moreno saying (I paraphrase) the only way to perform as badly as she did in The Ritz was to actually have some talent in the first place.
The fact that they were unearthed and covered again SEVERAL TIMES!!
What are the odds?
I love this kind of history. The Moors do have a long history in the peninsula.
Fascinating. And that warm water room seemed to be a little… dangerous.
XOXO
Sixpence Nonethewiser:
Yes. Amazing that they would take what they want and then just rebury them. Fascinating that both murders took place in the warm water room. Maybe it was easier to clean the blood.
When I saw the title, I thought this post would be about your youthful self in NYC. I have seen Barry Manilow perform, but never Bette Midler. She’s on my list of concerts to attend before I die, or if necessary, after I’m dead. Somebody prop me up in my seat. Bette can bring me back to life.
Love,
Janie
janiejunebug:
My youthful self in New York was still thinking he could live life as a straight person. I didn’t come out until 10 years after Bette was in that video. Probably a good thing. I might not have survived the intervening years otherwise. I saw her in Rochester NY in 72 or 73 and then Jerry and I saw her in LA in 83. I’ve never seen anyone work as hard as she did. And she was brilliant.
The Divine One is considerably older than I am (not that I’m not old, too). She has to hang on until I get to see her perform.