Oru Pasha Hamam

The Oruç Pasha Hamam, also known as the Bath of Whispers or Baths of Love, is an Ottoman-era bathhouse located near the Erythropotamos river in Didymoteicho, northern Greece. Constructed around 1398-1399 by Oruç Pasha, it is among the oldest Ottoman hamams in Greece and the oldest surviving Ottoman bathhouse in Europe. The structure currently stands in a poor state with significant plant growth, though restoration efforts are planned.

The hamam was built decades after Didymoteicho's conquest by Sultan Murad I in 1361. It operated until the early twentieth century and holds historical significance as one of the earliest Ottoman baths in Greece. A 2011 agreement between Greece, Bulgaria, and the European Union aims to promote this site alongside a corresponding bath in Svilengrad, Bulgaria.

Architecturally, the hamam features a square-shaped domed hot room surrounded by smaller hot rooms, with masonry characterized by alternating brick and stone layers. The cloister dome-vault is tiled with bricks and rests on Turkish triangles. The entrance, located on the northwest side, leads to a dressing room measuring 5.10 x 5 meters. The bath had two sections: the "lukewarm" and the "hot." According to Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi, clay ducts in the masonry allowed sounds from the hot room to be heard in the lukewarm room, earning it the name "Bath of Whispers." This unique acoustical feature enabled lovers to communicate discreetly and facilitated the sharing of secrets about exiled pashas with the Sublime Porte.