Culture of Hygiene in Ancient Iran

The custom of bathing and cleansing has had great significance among the people of Iran since ancient times. Washing the body was in two ways regarded as a vital matter. First, it freshened and cleansed the body and second, made the face look wholesome and pure. Therefore to carry out this important task, innovative Iranians, since thousands of years before Christ, have used special methods including the establishment of private hot baths known as "Garmabeh" for people to bathe at home. In addition, there were also public baths in the city to be used by the general public for washing and cleansing.
These places were built according to specific beliefs, customs, cultures and geographical situation of different regions. The embossed Elamatie image known as "Kurangoon"in the Fahlavian valley of Fars, confirms the existence of hot baths, by illustrating a religious, ceremony where people are purifying themselves by bathing in a temple pool.
Persepolis is an interesting example of a private hot bath where even washing utensils such as a bowl and rose-water bottle have been found, including a drain seen on the floor. Based on found evidence, bathing was very common in the Ashkani kingdom. In Sassanid era, public hot baths were seen in addition to private ones.