Toilets Around the World – The Middle East

Pictures and details courtesy of world traveler Bob Cromwell

Mr. Cromwell has spent many hours dedicated to documenting world toilet conditions. He has given us written permission to post his photos and information here.

We would love if you would share your toilet pictures and experiences from around the world with us. Please recognize that Mr. Cromwell experienced some very nasty toilets in some countries but that is not a reflection that all toilets in those countries are all that bad. We are sure that there are many wonderful (and unique to U.S. standards) toilets in every country (and if you can share them with us we will gladly show/share them here).

Stationary Toilets

Köse Pension, Göreme, central Turkey. A classic floor-mounted squatter with integrated plumbing. The shower head mounts on the wall of the room, and the toilet drains the entire room. The hose/sprayer also reaches the toilet itself for hygienic purposes.

One may find these facilities when trekking in Besparmak Daglari, the Five Fingers mountain range of Turkey. in Turkey. Note how the waist-high enclosure provides both stunning views of the mountains for a user, and stunning views of the user for a passerby.

Muhamed Aly Bedouin village, Dahab, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt. Another great floor-mounted squatter, this one set into a tile floor. A great hose/sprayer unit here! This is excellent by Egyptian standards, but then again it’s in Sinai, not along the Nile. By the way, Dahab is on the beach, and that’s sand you see there!

The fabulous Doy-Doy Restaurant, Sultanahmet district, Istanbul, Turkey. Note the classic spigot on the wall and the red plastic mini-pitcher.

The Mavi House guesthouse, Sultanahmet district, Istanbul, Turkey. Across the street from the back side of the Four Seasons hotel, which was originally the prison featured in the film “Midnight Express.” Another great spigot-and-pitcher example.

The toilet at a gas station along the highway in central Turkey. This image is unfortunately not documented in detail, but it’s probably from somewhere along the highway outside of Konya.

The surprisingly scenic urinals at Maryemana, on a mountain above Ephesus, in western Turkey.

A well-labeled squatter at a pension in Pamukkale village, north of Denizli, in Turkey. Yes, that’s a mirror above the sink, this is a semi-outdoor facility.

The Orange Guesthouse, treehouses near the ruins at Olimpos, along the south-western coast of Turkey. You sleep in elevated platforms in the orange orchards, but at least the toilets are on solid ground. Or, as the Romans put it when they ruled the area, commodia firma beneficius est.

Non-Stationary Toilets

Turkish first-class yatakli vagon, or sleeper car, on the Pamukkale Ekspresi between Istanbul and Denizli. Note the distinctively Turkish thin copper line providing water in lieu of any disposable dry abrasive. It’s controlled by the valve immediately to the user’s right, thus leaving the left hand free for, uh, the sort of activity that means left-handed eaters are viewed with horror in the Middle East.

Also the Pamukkale Ekspresi overnight train between Istanbul and Denizli, but this is in a second-class coach car. A toilet compartment built largely from stainless steel. Reminiscent of the all-metal toilets in Syrian Arab Airlines.

This is from the Izmir Ekspresi overnight train between Ankara and Izmir. Note the great similarity between this toilet and the one from the Pammukale Ekspresi (see above). Basically the same cars, the first-class yatakli vagon.

Egyptian passenger car on Aswan-Luxor-Cairo route paralleling the Nile.

Egyptian ferry on Nuweiba-Aqaba route between the Sinai and Jordan. No sprayer, but at least there’s a hose. Actually pretty nice by Egyptian public toilet standards. That is rust that you see there!

The toilet in the fabulous Ankara Ekpresi overnight train running between Istanbul and Ankara. The first-class yatakli vagon (sleeping car) is the nicest overnight train. Very clean toilets, and even a shower at one end of the car!