Firuz Agha and his hammam in Smederevo

– This paper deals with the hammam in the Smederevo fortress, erected by Firuz Agha, the head of the Sultan’s treasury, between 1485 and 1490. Using Ottoman sources, the authors are able to determine the time of construction, the method of work and the role that this public bath played for Smederevo’s inhabitants. The hammam was very important for the functioning of the great Firuz’s waqf, which included numerous buildings in the Balkans and Anatolia. Based on data on the waqf’s revenue, it may be concluded that until the mid-16 th century the hammam in the Smederevo fortress was one of the most profitable facilities of its kind in the Ottoman Empire. Over a quarter of a century, Firuz, as the court agha and later as the sanjak-bey, constructed another three hammams in Tokat, Sivas and Sarajevo, which help us discern patterns and changes in the manner of construction. Based on this knowledge and information about the appearance and manner of functioning of the numerous hammams built in the second half of the 15 th and the first half of the 16 th century, the authors present the presumed disposition of the rooms of the public bath in the Smederevo fortress. In the female section, the rooms can be determined with great certainty, while three possible types, based on the shape and dimensions, are offered for the hot part of the male section of the hammam.