Azitujournal

54
show all the modifications compared
to the initial plan drawn up by Marçais
in 1900 [Figures 3].
At the Sabaghine bath, the absence
of the cold room or changing rooms
is highlighted: have the spaces been
merged into a single space or has the
changing room area been demolished?
Figure 4 shows a hypothetical plan of
the bath previously [Figures 4].
For the surface area of the two baths:
the total surface area of El Bali bath is
244m², almost half that of Sabaghine
bath which is 572m², this difference in
surface area is reflected in the relative
proportions of the different rooms:
Most of the difference in surface
area between the two baths is found in
the cold room (ex intermediate room)
as well as in the hot room; that of El
Bali bath is almost half that of Sabaghine
bath for both spaces [Table1].
6.2. Architectural components
The vertical elements:
The columns
In the dyers’ bath, the former intermediate
chamber or bayt al-wastani
is the centre of the composition. The
arches, which rest on the eight monolithic
columns, form the octagon and
support the dome. As for the other
four corner columns, which each have
two arches, they form the square of the
central space and replace the octagonal
plane of the dome. The bath has two
other columns at the level of the warm
room in a square shape with no decoration,
and two others in niches. Apart
from the columns of the hot room,
the other 12 columns are identical in
shape, size, shaft, and capital. The columns
are without base, with a cylindrical
barrel without fluting, and a square
capital inspired by the Corinthian order
[Figure 5].
El Bali bath has 4 columns at the
level of the former bayt al-wastani that
support the dome in the center and 2
columns in the entrance hall. All the
columns of the bath are identical and
have, like those of Sabaghine bath, a
cylindrical barrel without fluting, but
they contain a base, with a square capital
and without volute or decoration.
It also includes 4 other engaged pilasters
in the walls at the level of the warm
room in a square shape and without
Table 1. Surface comparison of the spaces of the two baths
(Authors).
Figure 5. Identification of the columns at the Sabaghine bath.
Figure 6. Identification of the columns at the El Bali bath.
ornamentation [Figure 6]. The columns
are made of stone in both baths,
and are not only decorative elements
but also represent internal supports for
the structure of the building. As for the
capital, it is an essential element in the
column because it allows the thrust of
the vaults and arches to be distributed.
ITU A|Z • Vol 16 No 3 • November 2019 • I. S. Oussadit, C. Selka, M. N. Ouissi, O. Bouet