Home repair project reveals 700-year-old bathhouse hidden in plain sight. Take a look
A request from city officials to repair an abandoned home in Spain led to the rediscovery of a 700-year-old bath complex. Photos show the well-preserved and unique structure.
City officials in Ajofrín noticed some tiles falling off an uninhabited house and contacted the owners about the necessary repairs, the Cultura Castilla-La Mancha said in an Aug. 23 news release.
The building was locally known as the Arab Baths and had been included in a list of heritage sites since the 1990s, but no one knew why. The officials who originally classified the structure as historic had not been able to enter, and from the outside the house looked completely normal.
Still, the classification prevented the home from being demolished even after it was abandoned and led to follow-up preservation efforts.
When the homeowners got the city’s repair request in 2021, they agreed to an archaeological survey to study the home’s history and evaluate its current state.
Archaeologists ventured inside the home and were surprised to find a 700-year-old bathhouse integrated into the structure. Photos show the vaulted brick rooms.
The complex was built in the 13th century following a traditional Arab bath style, officials with the Department of Education, Culture and Sports said in the release. Originally, there were three bathing rooms — cold, warm and hot — as well as an outdoor courtyard.
Photos show the two remaining baths, identified by archaeologists as the hot and warm rooms.
No basin, bathtubs or other water-related structures were found. These artifacts were likely looted when the complex fell out of use sometime in the medieval period.
By the 18th century, the structure was repurposed for agricultural use with new floors, a trough for animals and some enclosure space, officials said.
Eventually, the building was adapted into a house. The baths became bedrooms, and a new addition added a kitchen, entrance hall and lounge room. The home was occupied until a few decades ago.
Officials described the 700-year-old bathhouse as unique due to its rural location and one of the best-preserved complexes of its kind in the region.
The village of Ajofrín is a roughly 50-mile drive southwest from Madrid.
Google Translate was used to translate the news release from Cultura Castilla-La Mancha.
This story was originally published August 27, 2024 at 11:50 AM with the headline "Home repair project reveals 700-year-old bathhouse hidden in plain sight. Take a look."
