Arab baths… or just Roman?
Arab Baths
Despite the name given to these baths, they were not built under the rule of Arabs – nor did they follow the style of traditional arab baths. So you’re probably a bit perplexed by their name. In fact, the first reference we have to them is from the 12th century – when the area had come under the crown of Aragon. They follow the Roman thermae room distribution, with an apodyterium (the first room in which people changed and chatted), and then a series of rooms with pools at different temperatures. The first one was the tepidarium, a medium temperature space filled with steam to prepare the body for the hot room, the caldarium, and finally the frigidarium, the cold water pool. All sounds lovely – apart from the cold water bit!
As seen on
Girona City Tour: Beyond the Walls