Who was taken to the harem of the Ottoman Sultan, and How women lived "in golden cages"

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The Ottoman Empire was famous for its cruelty and ruthlessness towards enemies. But these are trifles compared to how women and girls lived in the sultan's harem for many years. Women, as well as girls from the age of seven, were all kept in special conditions where they could be controlled, taught and, above all, enjoyed by the Sultan and his court.

Received as gifts or claimed as spoils of war, these women represented the power, wealth, and unbridled erotic energy of the Caliphate. Like the scene from The Thousand and One Nights, everyday life in the Ottoman harem was a life in limbo, full of sensual pleasures, as well as endless rules, expectations and boundaries. Harem, derived from the Arabic word "haram", meaning "sacred" or "forbidden", was part of the legendary patriarchy, which firmly believed that a woman was created for pleasure and that she can and should be used exclusively to satisfy her own needs.

1. Power of the Ottoman Empire

During the 8th and 9th centuries, Turkish nomads were driven out of their homes and eventually converted to Islam when faced with the Mongols. By 1299 AD, the Ottoman Empire was established, which brought many changes to the region, including taxation, social shifts, and a great deal of religious indoctrination. Between 1299 and 1923 A. D. NS. a cultural phenomenon, known as the "imperial harem", appeared, which contained all the wives, servants, relatives and concubines of the sultans at court. As the empire expanded its territory, power changed, economic and social institutions developed from the Byzantine Empire, and Islam became the main law of the country.

2. Women of the harem

The only way to enter the harem was through a carefully hidden entrance located in the center of the courtyard. The women who occupied these immaculate living areas did not often venture outside their assigned space, constantly being in the richly furnished interiors like birds caught in golden cages. No one had the right to look at them, neither men nor outsiders, with the exception of specially trained eunuchs who watched over the inhabitants of the harem, following all the instructions of the emperor and his subjects. But only not a eunuch could make his way to power. Women who lived in a harem, if they were smart enough and lucky, could also achieve great authority, respect and wealth in the imperial court.

3. The atmosphere in the harem

The surroundings, located near the harem, were striking in their beauty. The heart of this maiden kingdom was one of the largest pavilions. It housed an inner courtyard where women came to swim in the pool or admire the local plants. This place was peaceful and calm, where they mainly engaged in relaxation and contemplation of beauty. The courtyard also served as a gathering place for women, where they could be together, relax, read or pray. There were also the personal chambers of the ruling sultan, as well as four hundred rooms where you could stay, sleep or have fun.

In the imperial harem, as a rule, there were several dozen girls, including the official wives of the Sultan, his mother, daughters, relatives and servants. Of course, it could not do without eunuchs, who zealously kept order. The sons of the Sultan also lived in a harem until a certain age (twelve years), after which they were considered men and they were allowed to have their own harem.

4. Eunuchs

The harem was considered a deeply intimate and secluded place where no man could look outside the Sultan's inner circle. As a result, the harem had to be guarded by those who were domineering, but for some reason did not take place in an intimate sense as a man. This was beautifully accomplished with the help of eunuchs, castrated men who were tasked with guarding and protecting women.

Eunuchs were usually slaves, captured during the war or bought in some distant market in Ethiopia or Sudan. As a result, there were two types of men - black and white, respectively, each type was assigned different responsibilities. Black eunuchs, or sandals, removed their genitals completely during the castration process and as a result were the most preferred for harem maintenance. White eunuchs were allowed to keep at least part of their penis or testicles, and thus they received fewer harem responsibilities, since there was always a risk that they could use what little they had left and take advantage of a woman.

All servants were under the command of one chief harem eunuch, known as the Lord of the Maidens, or Kyzlar Agasy. Black eunuchs were called to guard women and were often promoted to rank, holding many positions in the palace, such as vizier, confidante, or even general in the army. Meanwhile, white eunuchs served under Kapi Agasi and had the privilege of dealing with state affairs and other matters of the internal service of the Sultan.

5. Sultanate of women

Despite their limited status, the women of the Caliphate did not always remain weak and vulnerable. To the extent that men were considered acceptable, figures in a harem could have a significant impact on the Ottoman Empire during the 16th and 17th centuries - a time known as the Sultanate of Women. Of course, many of the sultans of the time were minors who held onto the authority of their mothers, but this was an unusual development, especially given the slave origins of many of the harem women.

Despite male concern for such practices, they often did not participate in the fighting (or planned their next strategic battle) and did not control the infrastructure of their political landscape. But when in 1687 the struggle between the two most powerful female regents - Kyosem Sultan and Turhan Sultan - ended, many women in the harem decided to follow their example in order to gain some freedom and power.

6. The hierarchy of women in the harem

The word "odalisque", which was used to refer to many women in the harem, comes from the Turkish odalık meaning "maid", thus hinting at what the women in the harem actually did. Otherwise known as ikbalas, these women were the sultan's mistresses, but they were also much larger. Odalisques have always had something attractive and, as a rule, had some kind of talent. For example, they might be good at music, singing, or dance. They were approved not only by Valide Sultan (mother of the Sultan), but also by his main wife. In fact, any male guest who received an odalisque as a gift received a great honor.

Women below the odalisque were called Gedik, and they were noticed by the royal authorities, but not put to bed, unless, of course, the sultan decided to change this. But mostly these women served him tempting baklava in the evenings. Below the gediks were simple servants who did the same thing, but did not receive any honors. Most of these inferior women could technically be called concubines, as this word literally translates to "girl for one night." As a result, many of the concubines became very popular in the harem and not only the sultan, but also his subjects resorted to their services.

7. Valide Sultan

The harem was viewed as a small world inside a large one, where the mother, or Valide Sultan, had supreme power. She was not only the man's most important relative, but also politically and socially influential in many ways. She chose concubines for her son, and she was the main person around whom the women of the harem rallied when they needed something, they wanted to enter into an alliance or insisted on their personal plans. She was a queen bee and could instantly decide the fate of any ordinary woman in a harem, either expelling her in disgrace or raising her in office.

Having her by her side was extremely important, as a safe place allowed the woman to receive help, food, comfort, and even status. Ultimately, if one of the concubines gave birth to a son to the ruler, then she could well someday take the main role at court. She could keep track of how often some wives and their children would see the Sultan and how their sons were introduced to the court.

Sultan Valide ruled as long as her son ruled, as his death would mean the end of her matriarchal rule. The second after her was the first wife of the Sultan, who was considered such, because she gave birth to the most sons.

8. Freedom is not for everyone

Despite the restrictions and rules, not all women of the Sultan's harem were slaves. Many of his wives lived in it, who had the special pleasure of living in close proximity to all of his concubines. Formally, the wives of the Sultan were supposedly free, since they were married of their own free will. The women of the harem simply had to accept each other and find a way to come to terms with their fate.

Despite Western fantasies, not all harem women had to sleep with the sultan. In fact, they all received a general education equivalent to a male page, and were often married to members of the court outside the nobility or the Ottoman political elite. They could also just stay in the harem and serve the whims of the Valida Sultan. However, it is true that many of the beautiful and intelligent slaves in the harem were either captured during the war or presented to the Sultan as a gift.

And no matter what role the woman performed in the harem, sooner or later she found herself on the silk sheets of the Sultan, if he noticed her. After all, as a rule, the sultan always got what he wanted, and any refusal and disobedience could cost a woman even her life.

9. Education

In order to be a revered woman from a harem, it was necessary to have not only outstanding external data, but also to be smart, know the rules of etiquette and have good manners. The girls were taught how to be sophisticated, yet confident and seductive. In essence, the harem became a kind of school for girls, where they received knowledge and skills that could help them in the future to fit into life at court and find their place in it.

Of course, girls from the Ottoman harem around the world were considered the most attractive, because they were collected from all over the world. They were bought from slave markets in Russia, Greece, Ukraine, Turkey, Iran and parts of Europe. These women meticulously learned the most important skills: playing various musical instruments, learning poetry, the art of dancing, and learning the basics of seduction. As they matured, other important subjects were added to their education - literature, geography, history and spelling. In the later periods, girls and women from the Ottoman harem were fluent in French, could master foreign fashion magazines, gaining experience from them, modern trends and imitating foreign, sophisticated ladies.

10. Harem in Western art

In fact, unfortunately, there are no legitimate sources of truth about harem life. Therefore, in the world of art, there are many figurative representations that only sanctify fantasy. Thus, most of the images that can be seen depicting harem women and their experiences are from the Western world.

Continuing the theme about the great Ottoman Empire - lithographs of the 18th-19th centuriescreated by artists-travelers, who in their works managed to convey the atmosphere of those times as accurately as possible.