What was life like in the Ottoman harem?

Though the movement of women within and outside of the imperial Ottoman harem was very restricted, their space was at least well-appointed. According to the Topkapi Palace Museum, the harem in the sultan’s abode boasted over 300 rooms, nine different baths, and even two separate mosques for worship.

What did women do in harems?

Harems were thus gregarious and social places. All the women and young children of the house lived and worked together, including the mother-in-law if widowed, and sometimes aunts, and numerous female slaves. Large harems could have up to a hundred slaves to perform daily household tasks.

How many women are in the sultan’s harem?

Turkish sultans were allowed four wives and as many concubines as they wanted. The Topkapi Harem (left of the second court, near the entrance gate) is contains the secluded quarters where the women lived, the chambers where they entertained the sultan and the swimming pool where they frolicked and swam laps.

What was harem life like?

A harem may house a man’s wife or wives, their pre-pubescent male children, unmarried daughters, female domestic servants, and other unmarried female relatives. In harems of the past, concubines, which were enslaved women, were also housed in the harem.

How many women are in an Ottoman harem?

In the 18th- and 19th-century, the official mevacib register is sometimes preserved, and notes that the harem contained 446 slave women during the reign of sultan Mahmud I (r. 1730-1754), 720 during sultan Selim III (r. 1789-1808), and 473 during sultan Mahmud II (r. 1808-1839).

Can sultans marry?

The practice in which the Sultan would marry foreign princesses was mostly specific to the early Ottoman Sultanate. The Ottomans used this as a political tool in their relationship with neighboring powers. Such marriage alliances dated to the Sultanate’s nascent years.

What was life like as a concubine?

The ideal concubine was expected to be virtuous, docile and listen to her Emperor. If a girl was chosen she would enter the Forbidden City, usually between the age of 13 and 16, to begin a surreal life within the city walls, seldom to see her family again.

Do sultans marry?

Prior to the Sultanate of Women, the sultan did not marry, but had a harem of concubines who produced him heirs, with each concubine producing one son only and following her son to the provinces they were assigned to lead instead of remaining in Istanbul.

What was life like in the harem of the Ottoman Empire?

Most of the men and women within the harem were bought as slaves to ensure obedience, however some remained free. The main wives, especially those married to solidify personal and dynastic alliances were free women. An even smaller number of women would be chosen as the Sultan’s favourites, or the hasekis.

What was the harem of the Sultan?

The harem refers to the area of the sultan’s household that belonged to the women. It was a perfectly sealed sanctuary with no view or direct route to the outside, accessible only to those who knew the route. It contained living quarters for the sultan’s mother, his wives, his sisters, his daughters, and the female servants and slaves.

Why did the Ottomans have so many wives?

Islamic law also allows men to take multiple wives, so long as they can support them. This meant that the luxurious court of the Ottoman sultan could host a particularly large and complex harem. The Ottoman Empire used both wives and concubines from within the harem to produce heirs, reports The Ottomans.

Who were the most beautiful concubines in the Ottoman Empire?

Many of the concubines and odalisques of the Imperial harem were reputed to be among the most beautiful of women in the Ottoman Empire. Young girls of extraordinary beauty were sent to the sultan’s court, often as gifts from the governors. Numerous harem women were Circassians, Georgians, and Abkhazians.