Worshiper cleaning his feet before prayer at the Sultan Ahmed Mosque. Istanbul, 2009.

The hamams in the Ottoman culture started out as structural elements serving as annexes to mosques. However they quickly evolved into institutions unto themselves and eventually, with the works of the Ottoman architect Sinan, into monumental structural complexes, the finest example being the "Çemberlitaş Hamamı" in Istanbul, built in 1584. Seen in this photograph. Istanbul, 2009.