World Toilet Day: From ancient to made of gold, here are some of the most unusual toilets

Everyone has to go, but hardly anyone talks about it. On World Toilet Day, here are some of the most unusual latrines around the globe. 

Ancient loo in Jerusalem

Jerusalem: Archaeologists find 2,700-year-old toilet in luxurious palace in #Jerusalem. Perhaps it was one of the biblical kings of Judah, possibly Hezekiah or Josiah, or other members of the royal families as only the rich could afford toilets. pic.twitter.com/fgYZy4OfU1

— Duryodhan (@duryodan_) October 6, 2021

This square block of limestone with a hole in the middle is a toilet that was part of a magnificent royal estate in the 7th century B.C., according to the Israeli Antiquities Authority. The 2,700-year-old private toilet was discovered in October 2021. Underneath it, archaeologists found a septic tank hewn out of the rock, reportedly a rare find because only rich people could afford toilets.

No private affair

For #WorldToiletDay the public #latrines from the #Roman period in Ephesus, Turkey. Built in the 1st c. AD, they were connected to the adjacent Scholastica Baths, which provided water for flushing the toilets. #archaeology pic.twitter.com/8paT94EkSS

— Nina Willburger (@DrNWillburger) November 19, 2021

The oldest toilets found to date were built by the Sumerians in Mesopotamia between 3,500 and 3,000 B.C. This photo shows ancient Roman toilets on the Leptis Magna archaeological site in Libya. For the Romans, going to the bathroom was far from a private affair, it was a social event. The latrines — they had no partitions — offered space for 60 people all at once.

XXL toilet

This must be the world's largest toilet! Creative Philippe Starck design at @Duravit headquarters pic.twitter.com/3dMzZJJVx8

— Marion Schumacher (@DigitalMarion) July 28, 2014

The oversized toilet in the building's facade, designed by French designer Philippe Starck, is obviously a sculpture not meant to be used. The huge toilet bowl is an advertising gimmick for a German manufacturer in Hornberg in southern Germany. From the rim, visitors have a view of the Black Forest. The Western ceramic toilet bowl is not necessarily the standard everywhere in the world, however.

Different customs

World Toilet Day!
19th, November #cydaindia #toiletday #sanitationforall pic.twitter.com/pSfacat0nl

— THE PULSE OF YOUNG INDIA (@THEPULSEOFYOUN1) November 19, 2021

Toilets in Asian countries are usually of the squatting kind, which has two advantages: the posture facilitates bowel movements and there is no unsanitary toilet seat. Paper for wiping is not a must, either: in many countries, including in the Arab world, running water is provided — and preferred.

High-tech in Japan

In Japan, electronic toilets are near ubiquitous—so what'll it take for them to finally catch on in the US? Lifehacker staff writer @toomuchnick traveled to one of the biggest high-tech toilet companies in Tokyo to find out. pic.twitter.com/BkUVCak09x

— Lifehacker (@lifehacker) April 23, 2019

Japan tops the list of high-tech Western flush toilet technology, from automatic air freshener features to heated seats, inbuilt stereo music systems and of course WiFi.

Clever panels

WATCH: Tokyo’s transparent toilets turn heads: The walls of the cubicles are made of special glass which remains see-through until the user locks the door pic.twitter.com/eNknRkx6hC

— Reuters (@Reuters) August 30, 2020

In Japan's capital, Tokyo, some public toilets are transparent — the wall panels only become opaque when the toilet is in use. The Japanese city of Ichihara is home to the world's largest public toilet, a glass cubicle with a lavatory on a 200,000-square-meter site. It is for women only, and the designer is none other than Sou Fujimoto.

Desert-style comfort

A deluxe toilet block is available next to the Chott El Djerid salt lake east of Tozeur, Tunisia. #Toilet #Tunisia #LuxuryTravel pic.twitter.com/L9uXHpsynF

— David Stanley (@Stanley192of193) December 15, 2020

The above toilets are located in southern Tunisia, in the middle of the Chott el Djerid in Tunisia. The salt lake served a movie location for the childhood home of Luke Skywalker, one of the main protagonists in the Star Wars films.

Art project

"A Star is Born" Public toilet by Rem Koolhaas/@oma.eu with artist Erwin Olaf, 1996. #iloo… https://t.co/BThpyH96D4 pic.twitter.com/rvd591ebae

— G-Unit Rule (@TheeFerringer) September 30, 2016

This toilet is a work of art. Dutch star architect Rem Koolhaas designed the unisex toilet in 2006 for the "A Star is born" art project in Groningen.

Hundertwasser toilet

The Austrian-born architect and artist Friedensreich Hunderwasser designed this bathroom in his typical quirky, colorful and playful style. It is just one room in a building he gave the New Zealand town of Kawakawa, where he lived for many years until his death in 2000.

Chinese desert toilet

Ordos, Inner Mongolia. July 19. Tourists drive past a public toilet, issued in the form of a needle. pic.twitter.com/qwKLvCSH5x

— Hans Solo (@thandojo) September 23, 2013

Tourists visiting scenic spots in Inner Mongolia will find this toilet in Xiangsha Bay, China's first resort in the very east of the Kubuqi Desert. More than 40% of the world's population lacks adequate hygienic sanitary facilities. The UN launched World Toilet Day (WTD) in 2001 to draw attention to the problem. "There will be no sustainable future without toilets," the website says.

Space toilet

On a random note, one of the two toilets on the @Space_Station is located in Zvezda.@NASA is currently running the “Lunar Loo Challenge” to find concepts for a next-gen toilet that’s capable of “working in both microgravity and lunar gravity.” #space #toilet pic.twitter.com/65GNsdbEjx

— People_of_Space: ED (@People_Of_Space) July 12, 2020

In 2020, NASA spent $23 million (€20 million) on two toilets in space — the most expensive toilets ever. Unlike the predecessor model (pictured is the 2003 toilet in the Russian "Zvezda" module at the International Space Station ISS), the new ones are also designed for women.

18-karat gold

Gold Toilet By Maurizio Cattelan Stolen From Blenheim Palace https://t.co/SAkwFrSyGh pic.twitter.com/7DVozlSwGf

— Artlyst (@Artlyst) September 14, 2019

In 2016/17, visitors to the Guggenheim Museum in New York got to use this 18-karat gold toilet entitled "America," installed as a sculptural performance by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan. "Whatever you eat, a two-hundred-dollar lunch or a two-dollar hot dog, the results are the same, toilet-wise," the artist argued — and people waited in line to use it. The artwork was stolen in 2019.