Peshtemals

Peshtemal

A peshtemal is a traditional towel used in baths. A staple of Ottoman Hamam culture, dating back hundreds of years, the pestemal was originally designed to help individual bathers maintain their privacy. In addition to being highly absorbent, pestemals dry faster than thicker towels. Cotton has long fibers that open up with use, allowing the thin towels to be highly absorbent.

It is also used to indicate which region people are from. There are many kinds of peshtemal, with different styles and colors in different areas of Turkey and Iran.

The peshtemal absorbs water as fast as a traditional towel, dries very quickly, takes up less space, is easy to carry, and is therefore used as an alternative to the towel in bathrooms, pools, spas, beaches, sports facilities, and for baby care.

The peshtemal fabric is made of 100% cotton produced in manually operated looms in modern Turkey, historically in Antioch.