In this video, I'm going to talk about the life in one of the most famous harems in the world.
Western historians and artists let their imagination run riot thanks to it.
I'm refering to the mysterious harem of Topkapi palace, in Istanbul.
You know the harem is the part of the house (palace, in this case) where the sultan lived with his family: wives and children.
It was a private area, in contrast to the open area for visits called selamlik.
This area was intended mainly for men.
It was such a privilege to visit the Harem.
Only the sultan, his closest family and some servants could gain access to it.
Which means it was totally forbidden for the rest of the souls.
Just some doctors, teachers or musicians could enter, but under supervision.
(In specific days and in specific areas of the harem)
A good example of how private the harem was, is this story/rumour:
1869, the empress Eugénie de Montijo was slapped by the sultan's mother when she was trying to visit the harem in the company of the sultan himself.
I have told you that the access to the harem was very limited, so maybe you are thinking that there were so few people inside.
Not at all, there could even be 1000 people living inside the harem.
Just listen: The harem in Topkapi had:
46 toilets, 8 hamams, 4 little kitchens, 2 mosques, 6 pantries, 1 swimming pool and 1 hospital.
Everything inside worked in a very complex and precise way.
So then...who lived in the harem?
Let's analize this social scale.
The most powerful person (under the sultan) in the harem was his mother.
Valide sultan.
She directed everybody.
She could even participate in state matters if she wanted to.
Private rooms, personal servants, freedom to come and go, financial resources...
A great power, long story short.
One step lower, the first wife of the sultan or the mother of his first-born.
They also had special rooms.
In 3rd position: the rest of the official wives of the sultan.
The amount of wives depended on every sultan.
The favourite concubines could also be in 3rd position.
It was not normal that slaves could become official wives.
Diplomatic deals could provide the sultan with future wives.
The rest of the children of the sultan lived in the harem too.
Ok, no problems so far.
But who else lived in the harem?
Servants: Women and eunuchs (if you don't know who eunuchs were, "pause me" and play this other video)
Those servant women were divided into categories.
Let's make it interesting.
Let's imagine a group of women which is just arrived to Topkapi.
They would be non-muslim slaves, most certainly.
They could have been captured in battles or recruited in different places of the ottoman empire.
They could also be gifts for the sultan.
Amazingly beautiful women were often sent to Topkapi to become gifts for the sultan.
That's why the harem of Topkapi was notorious for having the most beautiful women in the world.
At first, they would pass a training period when they would be well-treated.
During this proccess, they could convert to Islam and change their name. But it was not compulsory.
The division starts:
The slaves would become servants in the harem.
The biggest group.
If some of those slaves were specially intelligent or beautiful, she could become the personal assistant of some concubines, offical wives or the rest of the family of the sultan.
A lady companion under the orders of an important figure in the Harem.
If any of those slaves were extraordinary beautiful (or a gift for the sultan)
Anyone who could make the sultan interested in them...
...were trained in singing, dancing, playing an instrument, reciting poetry...
Different ways to seduce, let's say it like that.
They could be introduced directly to the sultan or to other high-ranking officials in the court.
Basically, they became concubines.
In the case of being concubine, different things could happen:
1) They could be used to arrange political marriages.
2) Concubines in general, after 9 years of service, could marry civil servants or officials of the court of the sultan.
If so, the sultan had to pay the wedding expenses and the concubines could be free.
3) They could spend their whole life as concubines in the palace.
Concubines had to be at the sultan's beck and call.
If sultan liked them, he could grant them with more status levels.
They could be "fortunate" or "favourite"
That was something serious, I told you that the favourite concubines could be on the same level than official wives.
They even had private rooms, it was a good position in the harem.
Life in the harem was under strict rules based on tradition.
A lot of people don't know that women in the harem could go out sailing or take a ride.
But under these conditions:
1. The approval of the mother of the sultan.
2. To be watched by a group of eunuchs. They took the role of bodyguards and entourage.
3. To have their faces covered. They were family of the sultan, so they had to show the existing distance between them and the rest of the people.
Maybe you want to know that few women run away from the harem during centuries.
Why didn't they?
The most reasonable reason is: They didn't have where to go.
Secondly, they lived in a very comfortable way in the palace.
They had food, roof, some luxuries, some social power...
But...life in the harem was not that easy either.
As you can imagine, there was rivalry among women.
Mostly from 16 century on.
In that moment, there was a new rule: any woman could give a child to the sultan...and he could become the new heir.
Killing sultan's children was something usual in the Ottoman Empire.
There were sultans who could not overcome from the trauma.
Anyway, I want to talk about this and THE CAGE in another video.
I want to clear up that harems are forbidden in Turkey nowadays.
I hope you have found this interesting. I don't know if you were aware of how complex the harems were.
Anything you want to share with me, write it down. I will read it.
Subscribe to my channel if you want to be informed everytime I upload a new video.
Let's see each other in the next video. I know you will be there, you won't fail me.
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