Isfahan's Sheikh Bahai bathhouse is on
the verge of destruction. Years of utter neglect have taken their toll on
this historic monument. Unless the responsible authorities act soon to restore
this building and maintain it going forward, the future will be very gloomy for
the bathhouse.
The bath of Sheikh Bahai is located in a small
street named after him in the southern section of the old bazaar close to the
Masjed-e-Jomeh.The bathroom derives its principal fame from the story that it
was warmed by a single candle ,which was placed in a closed space and never
needed renewing.
The most famous of these was a bath called
Hammam-e-Bahai (the bath of Bahai). Regardless of the time of the year, the
water in the bath was always lukewarm. In their curiosity to find out how it
worked, the British destroyed the bath several centuries later. To their
surprise, they discovered only a small candle burning below the water reservoir,
which had somehow managed to keep the water temperature steady for over 250
years!
The candle was rather larger than
the ones we use on tables, and the clay pipes which circulated the water became
unusable many years ago. According to his own instructions, the candle's fire
would be put out once disclosed. This happened during the restoration and repair
of the building and no one could make the system work again.
Sheikh Bahai was a noted philosopher and mathematician who worked for
Shah Abbas I and who also designed the Sundial in the Royal Mosque
which to this day accurately gives the time for mid-day prayers. An inscription
over the doorway is all that identifies the building today.
