There are few socially known phenomena in the world whose true meaning remains hidden by a veil of secrecy from most people. An example, however, is harems. Everyone has heard about them at least once in their life, but few know about the true purpose, structure, rules of life in them. But almost everyone is interested in the question “harem: what is it?”
History reference
The word harem has an interesting history. In Turkish, it was borrowed from Arabic, and came from the Akkadian dialect. But for any nation, it means something sacred, secret, and also a place protected from other people's views.
Sultan’s harems as phenomena of public life in the East originate in the distant 1365, when Sultan Murad I built a magnificent palace, reflecting the power of his supreme power. However, a classic harem with a properly organized palace economy appeared in the Ottoman Empire after the conquest of Constantinople by Sultan Mehmed Fatih in 1453. And the need for it arose due to the fact that the Ottoman sultans, aggressive and gaining power, had nowhere to take wives. It is during this period that the real history of the harem begins. Then he replenished with concubines from all over the world, and the official spouses of the Sultans became much less.
The first written records of the harem date back to the 15th century. Therefore, it can be reliably said that at that time only slaves were kept there. The spouses of the sultans became the daughters of the Christian rulers of neighboring countries. And only at the end of the XV century, in 1481, Sultan Bayazid II introduced the tradition of choosing wives among the residents of the harem.
Harem: factual and fantastic facts
Now let's try to understand the question "harem - what is it?" Is it a place of constant uncontrollable debauchery or is it becoming a “maximum security prison”?
The harem was called only part of the house where women lived, relatives of the Sultan: sisters, mothers, closed to strangers who were not members of the family. In some periods of time, the ruler’s brothers found refuge in it, and eunuchs and other servants also lived here. It is the closeness of these parts of the houses that explains the many misconceptions associated with Muslim harems. Some see them with rich castles, where many young beautiful girls in languid poses lie near the pool and live only with the idea of attracting the attention of the Sultan and appeasing his fantasies. For others, a harem seems to be a place of horror, saturated with envy, lawlessness, captivity, murder, arbitrariness. And it is not surprising that fantasies are so different, because only a select few managed to glimpse at least one eye into the eastern harem, to reveal this secret with seven seals.
Harem realities
Indeed, life at different times in the harem was stormy. There were murders and debauchery, but they fade compared to the orgies organized by aristocratic Europeans in the 18th century.
Yes, there was Sultan Murat III, who in his life managed to have 112 children. You can try to imagine how much he liked his harem and the very act of love.
There were precedents with massacres. For example, Ibrahim I drowned nearly 300 inhabitants of his harem in the bay. But medicine proved that he was mentally ill. But disorders of this kind, apparently, were possessed not only by the Turkish sultans, but also by some famous Russian personalities. For example, Lieutenant General Izmailov tortured fifty of his serf concubines to death.
In fact, even the Sultan could not so easily enter the harem. First, he had to notify his intention, and then the concubines were prepared, lined up in a row, like on the parade ground of a soldier. Only then they invited the sultan, but his whole visit was scheduled literally in steps.
The mores and customs of the Sultan's court have changed a lot over time. The rulers remained oppressive, but human feelings were not alien to them either. If at the beginning of the existence of the Ottoman Empire the new sultan who ascended the throne put to death his brothers, then the execution was later replaced by imprisonment in the “golden cells”, which became a relic of the past only in the 19th century. In the same century, concubines in the harem began to come either themselves, or they were brought by representatives of the Caucasian peoples.
Harem and its inner hierarchy
In fact, there was a strict system inside the harem, to which all its inhabitants should submit. The main thing was considered valid - the mother of the Sultan. She had to obey all the concubines - odalik (odalisks), from among whom the sultan could choose wives for himself. The wife in the harem on the steps of the hierarchy went next after the valid, if the master did not have any sisters.
Jariye is the lowest level of the hierarchy - the potential concubines of the Sultan, who were able to pass the validity exam with dignity. If such a girl managed to spend at least one night with the Sultan, she became a gozde (guzde), which means "beloved." If she turned into a favorite, then she was given the status of ikbal (ikbal), of which there were no more than 15 in the harem. The girl could improve her “level” if she managed to get pregnant, and then she became a cadin. The one who was lucky to become a legal wife received the title of Kadyn-effendi. These women had privileges in the form of salaries, their own apartments and slaves.
Women's life in a harem
There were many women in the harem. Although Islam allowed no more than 4 legal wives, the number of concubines was not limited. In the XV century, when morals were more strict, and girls often came here not of their own free will, they immediately changed their name. In addition, they must have converted to Islam (for this it was enough for them, raising a finger to heaven, to say: “There is no god but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet”) and abandon all kindred ties.
The opinion that the girls in the harem spent long days languidly waiting for the sultan to honor them with their attention is erroneous. In fact, they were busy almost the whole day. The concubines in the harem of the Sultan studied the Turkish language, reading the Koran, needlework, palace etiquette, music, the art of love. They had the opportunity to relax and have fun, playing various types of games, sometimes noisy and mobile. The harem of those times could be compared with privileged closed schools for girls who appeared in Europe only in the 20th century.
The concubines in the harem of the Sultan did not just study. They subsequently passed the exam, which the valida-sultan herself took. If the girls coped with dignity, then they could count on the attention of the master. The concubine in the harem was not a captive in the full sense of the word. Guests often came to the girls, and artists were called to perform here. Various celebrations were also arranged, and the concubines were even taken out to the Bosphorus - to ride on boats, breathe air, take a walk. In short, life in the harem was intense.
What women were chosen for the harem: selection criteria
The women in the harem, of course, were different in both physical and mental data. Slaves often came here from the slave market at the age of 5-7 years, and here they were brought up to full physical maturity. It should be noted that there have never been Turkish women among the sultan's concubines.
The girls were supposed to be smart, with a cunning, attractive, with a beautiful physique, sensual. There is an opinion that an important role in choosing a beauty for the Sultan was played not only by her physical beauty, but also by the structure and beauty of her penis. By the way, in some modern harems this selection criterion is still relevant. It was very important that the future concubine in the harem had a not too large vagina. And before the woman was admitted to the Sultan's bed, she underwent a series of tests with the holding of stone eggs and colored water, which should not have been shed during the belly dance in the vagina. This can explain the fact that not all wives or favorites of the Sultan had a beautiful appearance. Some were attracted by the beauty of another part of the body.
The Arab harem and its life were arranged in a slightly different way. At least, the harem of Nasser al-Din Shah Kajar, who gained power in Iran in 1848, destroyed all stereotypes that prevailed in terms of the beauty of women. Of course, as they say, the taste and color … But the harem of the Shah was clearly an amateur. Judging by the photographs (and there were many of them after this ruler, since he was fond of this occupation), he liked women in the body. The sources mention that the concubines were intentionally densely fed and did not allow them to move actively.
The eyebrows of all the girls were fused. But if we take up the history of 19th-century fashion, we recall that then it was fashionable, but “mustached” women were never “in trend”. And the Shah liked them.
Eunuchs and their role in the harem
It was customary to closely monitor the concubines of the Sultan. This function was performed by old proven slaves and eunuchs. Who are eunuchs? These are slaves brought mainly from Central Africa, Egypt, and Abyssinia, who were later castrated. Negroes were preferred in this regard, because, due to their physical characteristics, they tolerated operations well and survived to advanced years, while the Circassians, having more fragile health, underwent partial castration and often seduced the wards.
However, it should be noted that sometimes young men themselves offered their candidacy to the harem recruiters. What it is? The dream of becoming a castrated servant? No, just for a sneaky, cunning young man, this was a good opportunity to get some fortune and power in a much shorter time frame than if he had been trading or serving in the army with the Sultan. Yes, and there was much to grow. The chief of the black eunuchs had 300 horses and an unlimited number of slaves.
Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska Sultan (Roksolana) - “iron lady” harem
Despite the fact that the history of the harem as a social phenomenon is long, and the sultans had many wives, the names of only a few of them came to us. The harem of the Sultan Suleiman became largely known precisely thanks to the native Ukrainian, who according to various sources was called Anastasia roofing felts, Alexander Lisovskaya roofing felts. Muslims, however, renamed the girl in Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska.
She was abducted by the Crimean Tatars during one of the raids, on the eve of her own wedding. Judging by what is known about her, we can say that she was a sly, strong woman with an extraordinary mind. She encroached not only on the life of the sons of the padishah from her first wife, on the life of her mother-in-law, but also on the life of her own youngest son. But she was truly extraordinary if for 15 years she was able to ward off Sultan Suleiman from the harem and become the only female ruler.
Topkapi - the eternal refuge of the harem
The Topkapi Palace complex was founded by Sultan Mahmed as the official residence of the Ottoman rulers. And the well-known harem of the Sultan Suleiman also lived here. It was with the filing of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska (or Roksolana) that the largest reconstruction of the palace ensemble in its entire history was made. At different times in the harem could accommodate from 700 to 1200 women.
For a person who got to Topkapi for the first time, the harem and the palace itself will seem like a real labyrinth with many rooms, corridors, courtyards scattered around it.
All the walls in the harem in those days were lined with exquisite Izna mosaic tiles, which in almost perfect condition have survived to this day. She continues to amaze tourists today with her beauty, brightness, accuracy, detail of the picture. By decorating the walls in this way, it was impossible to create two identical rooms, so each boudoir in the harem was special.
Topkapi occupy a vast territory. The palace has 300 rooms, 46 latrines, 8 baths, 2 mosques, 6 storerooms for supplies, swimming pools, laundries, hospitals, and kitchens. Whether all this was located in a harem, or whether part of the premises were assigned to the sultan part of the palace, is not known for certain. To date, only the first floor is open for tourists. Everything else is carefully kept hidden from the prying eyes of tourists.
All windows in the harem were barred. However, there are several clearly residential premises in which there were no windows at all. Most likely, these were rooms of eunuchs or slaves.
But no matter how beautiful and interesting it was in the harem, some girl would hardly want to be in it as a guest. Life in a harem has always been subject to internal strict rules, laws and regulations, which we still do not know about.
