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Life in the 'Harem': A forbidden place

Tales from travellers chronicle fourteenth century when the slaves were nourished and pro- brought from their estates as a
a variety of experiences about Ottoman Empire was founded, vided with clean and properly present for the Sultan. The sis-
countries and places they visi- the sultans and their princes maintained living quarters. ters of the Sultan who started to
ted with opinions that differ would many the daughters of live outside the Harem after
greatly. For centuries little, if governors who were primarily There were Turkish baths, they got married would give
anything, was known or for- Turkish, East Roman, prayer rooms, libraries, toilets, concubines in their service to
mally documented about life in Bulgarian or Serbian of family sitting rooms, courtyards, him as a present.
the harem. In Arabic, the word origin. Within the complex his- bedrooms, a kitchen and a
means the thing or torical and political context, hospital. The apartments of the The largest slave market of the
person that is forbidden. The this type of'intertribal' marriage members of the dynasty, Middle East was Baghdad. The
places are either totally forbid- of the sultans and their sons approximately 400 to 500 peo- next largest one was probably
den or can be entered under cer- continued for around 450 years ple lived in the Harem. These in Istanbul. Girls primarily
tain constraints. For instance, that is chronicled with imagina- were the personnel who served from the Circassian, Georgian
non-Muslims were forbidden to ry tales and narratives. in return for a certain wage. 500 and Abkhazian regions were
enter the holy cities of Mecca concubines worked in the bought for the Harem some of
and Medina for centuries which In Istanbul, the Topkapi Harem Harem during the reign of whom became famous. Their
were called 'Haremeyn', 'the was constructed approximately Sultan Murat 111(1574-85), 298 place in the Harem was well
place that is forbidden'. In a seventy years after the palace during the reign of Sultan defined and some reached
Muslim household 'harama' is a was built previously being Mabmut 11(1809-30), and 809 high levels in the hierarchy
place reserved for wives, situated in the Old Palace buil- during the reign of Abdulaziz and became senior wives to
concubines and female servants ding. Topkapi Palace, and (1881-76). the Sultan using their posi-
of a polygamous man. The others in Istanbul, was the tion to exercise considerable
institution was called 'Perde' or home of the reigning Sultan, his Styles of dress, work and enter- political and social power in
'Zenane' in India, 'Enduran' in mother who was the most tainments were well regulated. the Empire.
Iran and Harem' in countries powerful woman of the Special attention was paid to
under the influence of Arabic Empire, his wives and children, the latter to keep within the In 1847 the slave trade was
culture. The Ottomans called 'favourites' and concubines. As limits of prohibitions and allo-
this part of the palace 'Dar'us well as living areas there were wances of Islam. Religious banned in Istanbul and sub-
Saade', which means 'House of classrooms for the children of celebrations were considered sequently within the entire
Bliss' but the idea of it being the Sultan and servants. more important and other festi- borders of the Empire by the
forbidden was made so promi- vities of various characters and Ottomans in 1857. The
nent that from the outside it In the order of strict hierarchy, frequency depended on the atti- Ottomans were overthrown
came to be called the 'Harem'. division of labour was based on tude of the reigning Sultan and by the Turkish nationalist
ability and appearance among economic condition of the revolution in 1922.
Islamic law that is practised in the concubines in the groups country. Under protection leisu-
Iran, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan depending on authority and hie- re for the ladies was also per- Ita Marguet
and Sudan carries no weight in rarchal status. Castration of mitted outside the Harem.
modem Turkey where the Civil males was common practice for Note: Acknowledgement is
Code is strictly applied. In the slaves destined for service in During the Expansion Era, sla- given to sources used in this
secular state brought in by the harem and unmarried fema- ves were captured on the lands text. It is drawn from the
President Mustafa Kemal le slaves could leave the harem invaded or later when no fur- English translation of Life in
Ataturk in 1923, polygamy was to many outside. Eunuchs ser- ther lands were acquired, usual- Harem by K. Erhan Bozkurt,
abolished and forbidden in the ved mainly as guards to the ly the governors of various 2007 (pp 48).
new Republic of Turkey. harem and of the women. The regions gave girls that they

A forbidden place
TRAVELS THROUGH IRELAND: COLLECTION OF TEXTS
A booklet by K. Erhan Bozkurt ON IRISH PEOPLE, PLACES, NAMES AND HISTORY
brings the Harem to life in its
detailed account and vivid ima- Ita Marguet is an Irish born author who lives in France. Now retired from the
ges resulting from research by International Labour Office (ILO), where she worked for twenty-five years,
native historians into the meeting her husband and creating a family at the foot of the Alps, she spends
much of her time travelling and writing as well as enjoying the pleasures of
Ottoman archives. It narrates a
contemporary account of the time with her grandchildren. For many many years, Ita has been writing about
history, structure and organisa- Ireland and Irish connections in all kinds of settings, no matter where, no matter who... In
tion of the 'harem with a des- 2005 she got her own column in Diva, entitled Ita's world - where her texts are currently
cription of terminology. uploaded. This book is a collection of some of Its's texts and it takes us through the different
settings of Ireland, from Dublin to York, through history. She takes us with her on her travels
As with all sovereign states, the through Ireland, looking at the places, people and history which contribute to the legacy of this
Ottoman Empire depended on great island, and it's like we are there with her. It's a lovely book, easy to read, and well written
the bringing up of new genera- - a must for people who would like to learn more about Ireland. The book is 224 pages and is
tions to maintain their lineage. available on-line at www. lulu books.
During the period from the
12011 Diva 47
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