Why are there two different types of toilets in Turkish apartments

If you have been to Turkey and visited the residents of this country (or rented an apartment in a Turkish house), you may have noticed that Turks usually have two toilets. At the same time, the bathrooms are different — in one there is a floor bowl "Genoa", and in the other there is a regular toilet. Why do the Turks need two toilets, especially since one of them has a device typical for public bathrooms?

Most often in Turkish dwellings you can find a toilet in the form of a hole in the floor. But if the floor plan of the house allows, then there are two or more toilets. In this case, at least one of them has a traditional configuration for us with a regular toilet. At the same time, the device with a hole in the floor is the most in demand, and not a comfortable device with a pedestal and a folding seat.

The thing is that since ancient times, the Turks have been using the bowls of Genoa, which are also called Turkish toilets. They appeared in the Ottoman Empire in the palaces of sultans and aristocrats back in The Middle Ages. Such toilets were the only option until the end of the 20th century, as they corresponded to traditions and religious canons.

As you know, toilet paper is not in high esteem in Islamic countries. Instead, the bathrooms have hygienic showers or just buckets, jugs and buckets of water. This is because Muslims always wash themselves after going to the toilet after visiting the restroom. But recently, more and more residents of the country, especially young people, prefer the toilet, typical of Western countries.

Therefore, if possible, equip two toilets. One is for those who adhere to traditions, and the second is for connoisseurs of Western culture and guests. The same choice is offered by the toilets of reputable hotels and restrooms in shopping malls and train stations.

In general, toilets in the Ottoman Empire were not a rarity even hundreds of years ago. At a time when the noble knights of Britain and France were relieving themselves in the wardrobe, the Ottomans, spoiled by comfort, retired to luxurious dressing rooms decorated with marble and gold. Even then, after the toilet, it was customary to use not paper, but water.

There were no problems with water in the homes of rich Turks — they equipped the water supply system. As for the sultans, 500 years ago they could afford a modern service. For example, during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent in the early 16th century, the Topkapi Palace was equipped with all amenities. The sultan and his family had cold and hot water, sewerage and even a hammam. And in Versailles, which was built in the middle of the 17th century, there was not a single toilet.