Harem - what is it? History and culture of the East

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:48

There are few publicly known phenomena in the world, the true meaning of which remains hidden by a veil of secrecy from most people. An example, however, is harems. Everyone heard about them at least once in their life, but few know about their true purpose, structure, rules of life. But almost everyone is interested in the question “harem: what is it?”

Historical background

The word "harem" has an interesting history. In Turkish, it was borrowed from Arabic, and there it came from the Akkadian dialect. But for any nation, it means something sacred, secret, and also a place protected from prying eyes.

Sultan's harems as a phenomenon of public life in the East originate in the distant 1365, when Sultan Murad I built a luxurious 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 forit arose due to the fact that the aggressive and growing power of the Ottoman sultans had nowhere to take wives. It was during this period that the real history of the harem began. At the same time, he was replenished with concubines from different parts of the world, and the official spouses of the sultans became much less.

The first written references to the harem also date back to the 15th century. Therefore, we can reliably say that at that time only slaves were kept there. The daughters of the Christian rulers of neighboring countries became the spouses of the sultans. And only at the end of the 15th century, in 1481, Sultan Bayezid II introduced the tradition of choosing wives among the inhabitants of the harem.

Harem Facts and Fiction

Now let's try to understand the question "harem - what is it?" Is it a place of constant unstoppable debauchery, or is it becoming a "high security prison"?

The harem was just a part of the house closed to strangers who were not family members, where women lived, relatives of the Sultan: sisters, mothers. In some periods of time, the brothers of the ruler found shelter in it, and eunuchs and other servants also lived here. It is the closeness of these parts of the houses that explains the multiple misconceptions associated with Muslim harems. Some see them as rich castles, where many young beautiful girls in languid poses lie near the pool and live only with the thought of attracting the attention of the Sultan and appeasing his fantasies. For others, the harem seems to be a place of horrors, saturated with envy, lack of rights, captivity, murder, arbitrariness. And notit is surprising that fantasies differ so much, because only a select few managed to look into the eastern harem with at least one eye, to reveal this secret behind seven seals.

Harem reality

Indeed, life at different times in the harem was stormy. There were murders and debauchery, but they pale in comparison to the orgies organized by European aristocrats in the 18th century.

Yes, there was Sultan Murat III, who managed to acquire 112 children in his life. You can try to imagine how much he enjoyed his harem and the very act of love.

There were also precedents with massacres. For example, Ibrahim I drowned almost 300 inhabitants of his harem in the bay. But it was proved by medicine that he was a mentally ill person. But disorders of this kind, apparently, were possessed not only by 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 just enter the harem. First, he had to announce his intention, and then the concubines were prepared, lined up in a row, like soldiers on a parade ground. Only then the Sultan was invited, but his entire visit was scheduled literally step by step.

The manners and customs of the Sultan's court have changed a lot over time. The rulers remained despotic, but they were not alien to human feelings. If at the beginning of the existence of the Ottoman Empire, the new sultan who ascended the throne killed his brothers, then later the execution was replaced by imprisonment in "golden cages", which became a relicpast only in the 19th century. In the same century, concubines began to come to the harem either themselves, or they were brought by representatives of the Caucasian peoples.

Harem and its internal hierarchy

In fact, there was a strict system inside the harem that all its inhabitants had to obey. Valide was considered the main one - the mother of the Sultan. All the concubines had to obey her - odalisques (odalisques), from among which the sultan could choose his wives. The wife in the harem on the steps of the hierarchy was next after the valid if the master had no sisters.

Jariye is the lowest level of the hierarchy - potential sultan's concubines who were able to adequately pass the valid exam. If such a girl managed to spend at least one night with the Sultan, she became gozde (gyuzde), which means "beloved". If she turned into a favorite, then she was assigned 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 kadin. The one who was lucky enough to become a legal wife received the title of kadyn-effendi. These women had the privileges of a salary, their own apartments and slaves.

The life of women in the harem

There were many women in the harem. Although Islam allowed to have no more than 4 legal wives, the number of concubines was not limited. In the 15th 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 they need onlyit was, raising a finger to the sky, to say: “There is no god but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet”) and renounce all family ties.

The opinion related to the fact that the girls in the harem languidly waited all day for the Sultan to honor them with his attention is erroneous. In fact, they were busy almost the whole day. The concubines in the Sultan's harem were taught the Turkish language, reading the Koran, needlework, palace etiquette, music, and the art of love. They had the opportunity to relax and have fun playing various types of games, sometimes noisy and moving. The harem of those times could be compared to the privileged closed schools for girls that appeared in Europe only in the 20th century.

The concubines in the Sultan's harem didn't just study. They subsequently passed the exam, which was taken by the Valide Sultan herself. 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 invited to perform here. Various celebrations were also arranged, and the concubines were even taken to the Bosphorus - to ride the boats, get some air, take a walk. In short, life in the harem was full.

Which women were chosen for the harem: selection criteria

Women in the harem, of course, were different both in physical and mental data. Often, slaves came here from the slave market at the age of 5-7 years, and here they were brought up until they were fully physically mature. It should be noted that there were never Turkish women among the Sultan's concubines.

The girls should havebe smart, 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 genitals. By the way, in some modern harems this selection criterion is still relevant. It was very important that the future concubine in the harem did not have a too large vagina. And before a woman was admitted to the Sultan's box, she passed a series of tests with the retention of stone eggs and colored water, which should not have been spilled during the belly dance, into the vagina. This can explain the fact that not all the 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 way of life were arranged a little differently. At least, the harem of Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar, who gained power in Iran in 1848, destroyed all the stereotypes that had developed in terms of the beauty of women. Of course, as they say, the taste and color … But the Shah's harem 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 deliberately densely fed and did not allow them to actively move.

The eyebrows of all the girls were fused. But if we look at the history of fashion in the 19th century, we will remember that it was fashionable then, but “mustachioed” women were never “in trend”. And Shah liked them too.

Eunuchs and their role in the harem

It is accepted for the Sultan's concubineswas to watch closely. This function was performed by old proven slaves and eunuchs. Who are eunuchs? These are slaves brought mainly from Central Africa, Egypt, Abyssinia, who were subsequently castrated. Preference in this regard was given to blacks, since, due to their physical characteristics, they tolerated operations well and lived to old age, while the Circassians, having more fragile he alth, were subjected to partial castration and often seduced their wards.

However, it should be noted that sometimes young boys themselves offered their candidacies to harem recruiters. What it is? The dream of becoming a castrated servant? No, just for a sneaky, cunning youngster, it was a good opportunity to gain some fortune and power in a much shorter time than if he had traded or served in the army with the Sultan. Yes, there was room to grow. The head of the black eunuchs had 300 horses and an unlimited number of slaves.

Hyurrem Sultan (Roksolana) - "iron lady" of the 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 have come down to us. The harem of Sultan Suleiman became largely known precisely thanks to a Ukrainian by birth, who, according to various sources, was called either Anastasia or Alexandra Lisovskaya. The Muslims, however, renamed the girl Hürrem.

She was kidnapped 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 womancunning, strong, with an extraordinary mind. She encroached not only on the life of the sons of the padishah from the 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 she was able to drive Sultan Suleiman away from the harem for 15 years and become the only female ruler.

Topkapi - the eternal haven 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 Sultan Suleiman also lived here. It was at the suggestion of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska (or Roksolana) that the largest reconstruction of the palace ensemble was carried out in its entire history. At different times, from 700 to 1200 women could be located in the harem.

For a person visiting 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 have survived to this day in almost perfect condition. Even today it continues to amaze tourists with its beauty, brightness, accuracy, and detail of the drawing. 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, kitchens. Was all this located in the harem, or were some of the premises assigned to the Sultan's part?palace is not known for certain. To date, only the first floor is open to tourists. Everything else is carefully kept hidden from prying eyes of tourists.

All the windows in the harem were barred. However, there are also several clearly residential premises in which there were no windows at all. Most likely, these were the rooms of eunuchs or slaves.

But no matter how beautiful and interesting it was in the harem, it is unlikely that any girl would want to be in it as a guest. Life in the harem has always been subject to strict internal rules, laws and regulations that we still do not know about.

Modern harems

No matter how paradoxical it may sound, there are no harems in modern Turkey (at least in its central part). But the Turks themselves, smiling, add that this is only according to official data, but in rural areas, especially in the southeast, this way of life remains relevant.

Polygamy marriage is a given for 40% of women living in Jordan, Pakistan, Yemen, Syria, Madagascar, Iran, Iraq and the countries of the African continent. But it is worth noting that such a luxury as a harem remains the privilege of rich men, because only they are able to support their official wives in financial equality, of which there can be four in total. Each spouse should have their own house (or at least a private bedroom with their own entrance), jewelry, outfits, servants.

Most women in the modern harem are in this position of their own free will, but some,as before, they are held by force. But there are times when contracts are concluded with women, after the expiration of which they can return to their usual life, having become noticeably richer. After all, there are rumors about the generosity of modern sultans.

As before, women for the harem are not selected by its owners themselves, but by "specially trained people" - the so-called mashate, who roam the world in search of another beauty. But a beautiful face is far from the only "passing ticket" to the harem. A girl must be passionate enough in bed, be able to seduce her master, must understand how to extinguish conflicts and quarrels. To establish all the criteria, there are special checks (or, if you like, tests), only after passing, which the woman is shown directly to the owner of the harem.

After all of the above, the impression of the harem still remains ambiguous. Some will continue to perceive it as a relic of the past with limited freedom and infringement of women's rights, others as an opportunity to get rich and provide for themselves for a while, and some as a chance to find their real prince on a white horse. But all this is a harem. What it is for you is up to you to decide.