A hint of incense in the dark and narrow alleys leading to the 410-year-old Hammam al-Abhar in the Yemeni capital's old city reminds the visitor that each step taken is one further back into history. For centuries, the traditional Turkish-style bathhouse - "hammam" in Arabic - has been a cornerstone of life in the Middle East, and a place for social gatherings as well as for ritual bathing.
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