It is difficult to say when the first harems appeared. In ancient times, men hunted and fought inter-tribal wars, and therefore put their lives in danger. Polygamous relationships saved the tribe from extinction. In the first cells of human society, the birth of as many children as possible, especially sons, played an important role, and therefore men sought to acquire a huge family. The first harem, discovered by archaeologists during excavations of the Chaldean palace in Tello, was allegedly built at the beginning of the third millennium BC. 
It's no secret that in some countries harems are still preserved. More than forty percent of women living in Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo are in polygamous marriages. In Ghana, Cameroon, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Nigeria, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, such women range from twenty to forty percent. Polygamous marriages are also common in Algeria, Burundi, Egypt, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia, Pakistan, Rwanda, Syria and Madagascar. It must be said that in the harems of rich sultans, sheikhs and others powerful of the world This is not always the case for local beauties. Among their concubines there are also Europeans - and not only striptease dancers and prostitutes, but also fashion models, beauty pageant winners and even actresses. Some of them end up in the harem of their own free will. Someone is being held there by force. 
Some concubines enter into contracts for a certain period and return home, having significantly increased their wealth. It is not surprising that ladies of easy virtue are seduced by easy money and strive to get into harems. But it's not that simple. In the Arab world, people involved in the selection of concubines are called mashate - matchmaker. Naturally, their business is illegal, so it is almost impossible for an outsider to contact the mashate. They usually find girls in nightclubs. Everyone who wants to get into the harem has to go through a series of tests, very specific and difficult. To begin with, potential concubines donate blood for AIDS and undergo a complete medical checkup. Then the girls undergo hair removal. There should be no hair on a woman’s body; even barely noticeable hairs from the arms and back are removed. The hair removal product should be natural so that your body smells like milk and honey. Apply to the skin special mixture from sugar and proteins, a linen napkin is placed on top, after a minute it is torn off. The procedure is very painful. And the secret of the test is how the woman reacts to hair removal. It is believed that if the future odalisque screams little and quietly, then in bed she is cold and impassive. The next test is sexuality. The examiners are usually two relatives of the mashate. Before intimacy, they take a decoction of special herbs, which acts like a sedative. Many harem owners actually use such herbs instead of wine. Girls should be able to seduce them no matter what. In addition, mashate constantly monitors the behavior of future concubines, provoking quarrels. A woman in a harem must be able to extinguish conflicts, be non-scandalous, and silent. 
Those who end up in a harem receive a reward from a generous owner, who signs a contract with the chosen ones. The world's largest active harem belongs to the pirate Ben Bela, who robs ships in the South China Sea near Malaysia. About nine hundred captives are kept there. Next comes the Sultan of Brunei, one of the richest men in the world - he has seven hundred concubines in his harem. He never had sexual intercourse with some of them - they only had to dance and sing for him. One of these concubines was Shannon McKetick, winner of the Miss USA 1992 title. She spent three months in the Sultan's harem. After completing the contract and returning home, Shannon sued the Sultan for using her as a prostitute. Subsequently, however, it turned out that during the time she spent in the harem, neither the Sultan nor his younger brothers or the sons did not touch the American woman. In addition, at the end of the contract, Miss McKetik received one hundred thousand dollars and a diamond necklace as a gift. Saddam Hussein's harem contained about five hundred girls of the most different ages and nationalities. In 1993, drug lord Pablo Escobar was shot and killed in Colombia. 
His harem was a whole town with pavilions, walking parks and artificial ponds where swans swam. About four hundred concubines lived there. The fate of the women of the harem after the death of the owner is unenviable - accustomed to luxury, they are often sold to brothels, and many even commit suicide. In 2000, seventy-year-old Syrian President Hafez Al-Assad died. About forty young concubines, at the request of the country's new leader, were forced to leave Syria within twenty-four hours, without taking any of their personal belongings and jewelry with them. The German newspaper Bild wrote that among the women there were Germans, Swedes and French - and not a single Arab girl. 
And thirty-four concubines of the Nigerian dictator General Sani Abacha, who died of a heart attack from an overdose of Viagra, were allowed to leave the country on the condition that each pay $15,000. 
Any of them could well have done this, since the general was generous with them. All the women flew to London and opened the Heart of the Jungle club there. The older ones work there as a cook, while the younger ones dance striptease. Africa's last absolute monarch, King Mswati III of Swaziland, also has his own harem. 
Which of the wives will be called the “great wife” is decided by the royal family. Her son becomes heir to the throne. The king has about ten wives, but according to tradition, those who have not yet given birth to the king's child are called official brides, not queens. The first two wives of the King of Swaziland are chosen for him by the consuls. These wives play a special role in the rituals, and their sons cannot claim the throne. The king can only marry his brides if they become pregnant and prove that they are capable of producing heirs for him. Once a year, tens of thousands of half-naked women dance in front of the king in the hope of becoming one of his wives - in order to get into the harem and conclude a lucrative contract. However, despite all the delights of polygamous life and centuries-old traditions romantic love sometimes it wins. King Mohammed VI of Morocco ascended the throne after the death of his father Hassan II and immediately dissolved his harem of 132 concubines and two wives, allocating a decent amount of maintenance to each of them. 
Previously, the inhabitants of the royal harem were not allowed to go out into the world, their photographs were not supposed to appear in the press, and even wedding ceremonies were exclusively internal matter royal court. But when the new king met twenty-four-year-old programmer Salma Bennani, photographs of the future queen of Morocco appeared in the press, and gradually she became known throughout the country. And if a year earlier Mohammed said in an interview that there would be no queen in Morocco, now it seems that he has changed his mind. And for now it looks like the harems are still around...
When most people hear the word “harem,” colorful pictures come to mind - an abundance of seductive scantily clad women, murmuring fountains, sweet wine and constant bliss. In general, a heavenly pleasure. But do not forget that the times when harems existed were cruel, and the life of a woman was even harder.
So in fact, the Sultan's harems were far from this idealistic picture.
Translated from Arabic, “harem” means “separated, forbidden.” This place in the house was always hidden from prying eyes and was carefully guarded by servants. Women lived in this secret room. The main one among them was either the wife, who had the honor of marrying first and held a high title together with her betrothed, or the eunuchs.
Often there were a huge number of women in the Sultan's harems, the number of which could reach several thousand. The wives and concubines for the Sultan were always chosen by his mother - this is a strict rule. It was very easy to find yourself in a harem - to do this you just had to be beautiful. But even in a harem, not everyone was able to establish a relationship with her “husband” and give him an heir.
Such high competition among wives allowed only the most intelligent, calculating, dexterous and cunning women to advance to the top. Those who did not have such talents were doomed to perform household duties and serve the entire harem. They might never see their betrothed in their entire lives.
There were special rules in harems that could not be violated. So everything was not nearly as romantic as, for example, in the popular TV series “ Magnificent century" The overlord could get carried away new girl, and those who had an eyesore could be executed. Moreover, the methods of reprisal were striking in their cruelty.
One option to get rid of your annoying wife is to immerse her in a leather bag with snakes, tie her tightly, tie a stone to the bag and throw her into the sea. The easy way execution - strangulation with a silk cord.
Laws in the harem and the state
If you believe the documents, the first harems arose in Ottoman Empire. Initially, it was formed exclusively from slaves, and the sultans took as wives only the heirs of Christian rulers of neighboring states. However, during the reign of Bayezid II, the usual attitudes underwent changes. From that time on, the Sultan did not limit himself to marriage at all, and acquired children from his slaves.
Undoubtedly, the most important person in the harem was the Sultan, then in the chain of hierarchy was his mother, called the “valide”. When the ruler of the country changed, his mother always moved to a luxurious mansion, and the moving process itself was accompanied by a luxurious procession. After the Sultan’s mother, his betrotheds, who were called “Kadyn-effendi,” were considered the most important. Next came the powerless slaves, called “jariye”, with whom the harem was often simply filled.
The Caucasian princes wanted their daughters to end up in the Ottoman harem of the Sultan and marry him. When putting their daughters to bed, caring fathers sang songs to the little ones about a happy destiny, a luxurious fairy-tale life in which they would find themselves if they were lucky enough to become the wives of the Sultan.
The masters could buy future slaves when the children were five to seven years old, they raised them and raised them until puberty, that is, until the age of 12-14 years. The girls' parents renounced their rights to their child in writing after they voluntarily sold their daughter to the Sultan.
While the baby was growing up, she learned not only all the rules of social communication, but also how to please a man. Upon reaching adolescence the matured girl was shown in the palace. If, during examination, a slave showed defects in her appearance or body, if she never learned etiquette and showed bad behavior, she was considered unfit for the harem and was worth less than others, so her father was paid a smaller amount than what he expected.
Everyday life of slaves
The lucky ones, whom the Sultan was supposedly thinking of taking as his concubines, had to know the Koran perfectly well and master women's wisdom. And if the slave still managed to take the honorable place of the wife, her life changed radically. The Sultan's favorites were organizing charitable foundations, financed the construction of mosques. They revered Muslim traditions. The Sultan's wives were very smart. The high intelligence of these women is confirmed by letters that have survived to this day.
The concubines were treated with relative dignity, they were well taken care of, and they were regularly given gifts. Every day, even the simplest slaves received a payment, the amount of which was set personally by the Sultan. On holidays, be it a birthday or someone's wedding, slaves were given money and various gifts. However, if the slave was disobedient and regularly violated established orders and laws, the punishment for her was severe - severe beating with whips and sticks.
Marriage and adultery
After 9 years of living in the harem, the slave received the right to leave it, but on the condition that the master approves of it. If the Sultan made a positive decision, the woman received from him a document stating that she was a free person. In this case, the Sultan or his mother necessarily bought her a luxurious house, gave her an additional dowry, and looked for her a husband.
Well, before the onset of heavenly life, especially passionate concubines began intimate relationships with each other or with eunuchs. By the way, all the eunuchs were brought from Africa, so they were all black.
This was done for a specific purpose - in this way it was not difficult to identify the person who committed adultery with the servant. After all, in case of pregnancy, dark-skinned babies were born. But this happened extremely rarely, because slaves often ended up in the harem already castrated, so they could not have children. Love relationships often began between concubines and eunuchs. It even got to the point that women who left the harem left their new husbands, complaining that the eunuch gave them much more pleasure.
Roksolana
Until the 16th century, girls from Russia, Georgia, Croatia and Ukraine ended up in the harem. Byazid tied himself in marriage with a Byzantine princess, and Orkhan Ghazi chose the daughter of Emperor Constantine, Princess Caroline, as his wife. But the most famous Sultan's wife, according to legends, was from Ukraine. Her name was Roksolana, she remained in the status of Suleiman the Magnificent's betrothed for 40 years.
According to literary works of that time, Roksolana's real name is Anastasia. She was the daughter of a priest and was distinguished by her beauty. The girl was preparing for the wedding, but shortly before the celebration she was kidnapped by the Tatars and sent to Istanbul. There, the would-be bride ended up in a Muslim market where slave trade took place.
As soon as the girl found herself within the walls of the palace, she converted to Islam and learned the Turkish language. Anastasia turned out to be particularly cunning and calculating, therefore, through bribery, intrigue and seduction, in a short time she reached the young padishah, who became interested in her, and then married. She gave her husband three healthy heroes, among whom was the future Sultan, Selim the Second.
There are no more harems in modern Turkey; the last one disappeared at the beginning of the twentieth century. A museum was later opened in its place. However, among the elite, polygamy is still practiced today. Young 12-year-old beauties are given as wives to older rich men against their will. Basically, this is what poor parents do who do not have enough money to feed a large number of children.
In and in a number of others Muslim countries Polygamy is legalized, but at the same time it is allowed to have no more than four wives. The same law imposes on a polygamous man the obligation to adequately support his ladies and children, but not a word is written about respectful attitude. Therefore, despite beautiful life, wives are often kept in extreme strictness. In case of divorce, children always remain with their father, and mothers are prohibited from seeing them. This is the price to pay for a comfortable and luxurious life with an influential Arab man.
The basis, of course, was the harem of the sultans of the Ottoman Empire, but other eastern harems had a very similar structure, somewhere a little tougher, somewhere softer, somewhere the names of the titles were slightly different.
So, each woman in the Sultan’s harem, who had a certain title or rank, had her own status, and had strictly defined rights and responsibilities in accordance with it. Based on this status, the amount of her salary, the number of occupied rooms or chambers, the number of servants, and the right to occupy any position were determined. But only narrow specialists know about the complete hierarchy of women who lived in the Ottoman harem of the Middle Ages. I will only voice a list of possible statuses in a harem of the 16th-18th centuries, and tell you in detail about all the statuses.
My story will relate specifically to the Sultan’s harem, but in almost every shehzade harem a similar hierarchy was used, with slight personal changes, which were not uncommon. By the way, in the harem it was customary to add the word “Khatun” to a woman of status from “Jariye” to “Khaznedar” when addressing her. Women who received the status of “Sultan” always had this word added when addressing them. For example, Hurrem Sultan.
In the harem (Artist unknown to me)
So, the possible statuses of women in the Sultan’s harem:
Jariye (in the Khan's harem - “bikech”)- was considered the lowest level of the hierarchy. Every girl who ended up in a harem received exactly this status at the beginning of her journey. It should be noted here that most of the girls never increased their status, even after spending many years in the harem. This status belonged to the simplest slave-concubine, officially belonging to the Sultan’s harem, with a minimum salary. Such concubines were not even allowed to have intimacy with their master. They had no right to command or control anyone. Their responsibilities included cleaning the premises of the palace, serving those who were in a higher position in the hierarchical vertical, and performing various small tasks. At first they were not even Muslim women, although later almost all of them accepted Islam. For the jariye, courses were organized in the harem, the training of which lasted two or four years, depending on the age at which the slave entered the harem. Concubines were taught basic knowledge and skills. They learned to write in the Ottoman language, studied applied disciplines, for example, embroidery or playing some musical instrument. Elementary School...
Kalfa- this was the name of the maids who were part of the palace staff. These were most often former jariye, who received both basic training and additional training, which was necessary in order to obtain such status. They differed from the jariye in that they were engaged in cleaning premises and serving privileged persons as a professional activity, and not as a secondary occupation. They were paid increased salaries, but with this status they still did not have intimate relations with the Sultan. Jariye and the kalfa could count on marriage after serving in the harem for ten years, if they so desired. Their husbands usually became very successful people, and their future life was decently arranged. There were calfs of three categories. They were divided into junior, middle and senior, depending on their service life. In addition, they taught jariya, and commanded only girls of this status. Bees... The most important kalfa even had a little power. There was only one person in the palace as Unger Kalfa, and it was very difficult to get it. It was even more difficult to obtain the position of Khaznedar, which will be discussed later.
Mouth- this status could be assigned to a jariya who diligently completed the entire period of training, and at a certain moment of her stay in the harem she was supposed to become an exemplary concubine, who did not become a service personnel, that is, a kalfa. Usta received an increased salary; thanks to this status, more talented and attractive concubines stood out among the slaves who had just been brought, and they still did not know how to do anything. Such excellent students in combat and political... Bearers of Usta status became candidates for the right to intimate relationships with the Sultan. Only they could move further up the career ladder.
Odalyk- this is the next step after simple slaves. Odalyk is not much different from the mouth, only in his less luck in an intimate relationship with the Sultan, if there was one at all. Odalyk continued to live in the harem with full support and had an increased salary compared to a simple concubine. Excellent students, but failures... They were then married off if they did not make serious mistakes. But any of the concubines could have made a mistake. Obviously, the modern word “odalisque” has its root from this status.
A still from the series “The Magnificent Century” (from left to right - a eunuch of the harem, two kalfas at the door, an odalyk holding a box and Haseki Hurrem Sultan) Pake- this is a type of concubine who was able to approach and become an assistant to the owner of one of the highest titles. This is, in essence, the confidant of Haseki, Valide or Mistress (Sultana) in the harem. Companions... They were paid a very good salary, even more than that of experienced calfs. Peik was required to respect all other concubines. This was a very respectable status, practically the maximum hierarchy in the harem that a simple concubine who had no relationship with the Sultan could achieve. Only Khaznedar was higher in this regard.
Gözde- this status was considered the first really serious one that a slave who was allowed to have a relationship with the Sultan could achieve. At least even for one night. Most often, before this she was an Usto (an excellent student in combat and politics). After that, she turned into a favorite concubine, and she was no longer entrusted with the tasks that the other concubines were doing in the harem. The Gözde could continue their relationship with the Sultan, which could lead to higher titles if the Sultan remained favorable to them or they became pregnant. Gözda was given two maids and a separate room for each. There also followed a serious increase in salary, and many gifts from the Sultan. Every concubine aspired to the status of gezde if she wanted to be at the very top of the harem hierarchy, but only a few were able to obtain this status, although even with it a cloudless life was not guaranteed to anyone.
Iqbal- this is already a real constant favorite of the Sultan, who enjoyed the favor of the Padishah for a long time, and he spent more than one night with her. This status was awarded to gezde who became pregnant by the Sultan, but had not yet given birth. There was greater respect for such concubines than for the gyezda, but if they lost the fetus, they no longer had a further path in the harem. They could be transferred to odalyk, so pregnant women had to be very careful. For the convenience of the Iqbals, they were moved to more spacious comfortable chambers. They were served by several maidservants, twice as many as the Gözde.
Khaznedar- this is the status of the chief treasurer, or, as they would say today, the administrator of the harem. It was right hand and the main assistant Haseki or Valide. Depending on the title of the current harem manager. Only one person could have such a status in the palace at a time. Khaznedar is a unique title; even the pregnant favorites of the Sultan are lower in status. Sometimes the former kalfa managed to become Khaznedar, with a successful combination of circumstances, but most often this position went to girls with the status of odalyk or peik. The position of Khaznedar was unlimited, and if received, they could have it until death. Obtaining such a position was the only way to continue working in the harem even in old age. But in this case it was necessary to forget about creating your own family. Khaznedar had the opportunity to refuse their position, but then they found themselves at the previous level of the hierarchy or even retired. This status was a guarantee of a further comfortable life, because it guaranteed high prestige, a good salary, and a large number of gifts. Khaznedar communicated with the Sultan's family, and could in the future count on life outside the walls of the palace in full security. Khaznedar could be stripped of her status by the sultan or head of the harem if she made serious mistakes. She was replaced by a more suitable candidate. The further fate of the dismissed Khaznedar was unknown, and this was a rather rare case. However, there were situations when the former Khaznedar received her position again.
Kadyn- this was the name of the former Iqbal, who gave birth to a daughter to the Sultan. Sometimes she became the former mistress, the Sultana, who lost her title due to the loss of male heirs, but had a girl child, who was the daughter or granddaughter of the current Padishah.
Sultan (Mistress or Sultana)- this title was considered one of the highest that could be assigned to a woman in the Ottoman Empire. Before Sultan Suleiman began to rule, this title was considered the second among women's titles after Valide. This title could be given to a former Iqbal who gave birth to a son, and all daughters of the current Sultan automatically received it. According to one version, the sisters and daughters of the Sultan had this title from birth, but after marriage they lost this title. But this statement is not true. Even after marriage to the Sultan's sisters and daughters, their title was retained if the current Sultan had no objections. Most often this is what happened. But the irony of fate is that the Sultan’s sisters and daughters did not have the opportunity to receive a higher title, but the concubine who gave birth to the Sultan’s son had the opportunity to become Valide or Haseki in status. Thus, women who bore the title of Sultan by birth were not involved in the official management of the harem, but concubines who managed to “grow” to the highest position managed the harem. The only exception was Mihrimah Sultan, who headed the harem of Sultan Suleiman, her father. She ruled the harem from 1558 to 1566. In the eighteenth century, the Ottoman Empire underwent a reform, and all women of the harem were prohibited from using this title and a similar prefix to their name. Further, the title of Sultan in relation to women was generally abolished.
Still from the TV series “The Magnificent Century”. Kösem (part 1)“(There’s more controversial situation, since the grandson is already ruling, and the grandmother still can’t be sent to the Old Palace) (from left to right - Valide Handan Sultan, the Sultan’s aunt Fatma Sultan, “Grand” Valide Safiye Sultan, Cennet Kalfa is standing, Kösem is still in the status of gözde, Halime Sultan (mother of the Sultan's brother) Haseki- is the second highest title after Valide in the Ottoman Empire. It was introduced by Sultan Suleiman in 1521 for his legal wife Hurrem Sultan. The daughters and sisters of the Padishahs were not supposed to receive this title, and their position in the harem hierarchy was lower. Haseki received a salary of approximately 30 thousand akche per month. This title was unique: it could not be alienated, regardless of the gender of the children, the number of living heirs, the age of the title holder, or her location. It could not be lost even due to official changes in members of the dynasty (change of sultans, for example). For the first one hundred and fifty years of the title's existence, there was only one Haseki in the harem at any given time. Only at the end of the eighteenth century were several concubines at once able to receive such a title from the Sultan, so its owners were at that time less influential and had fewer opportunities. The Haseks received the best fabrics, furs and jewelry, and their chambers were most often located next to the Valide's chambers; they also had a large staff of servants and received large salaries: for example, the Haseki of Murad III Safiye received a salary of 100 akche per day. In addition, in the event of the death of the Sultan, Haseki continued to receive payments from the treasury. Known in different times Haseki: Gulnush Sultan, Telli Haseki, Kösem Sultan, Safiye Sultan, Nurbanu Sultan, Hurrem Sultan.
Still from the series “The Magnificent Century” (from left to right - Mahidevran Sultan (mother of the Sultan’s eldest son), Valide Aisha Hafsa Sultan, the Sultan’s sister - Hatice Sultan and Haseki Hurrem Sultan) Valide (Valide Sultan)- There was no higher title for a woman in the Ottoman Empire. It was first assigned to Aisha Hafsa Sultan, the mother of Suleiman the Magnificent. A concubine could receive such a title only when her son received the title of Sultan. This title was assigned to the former concubine for life or until her son was the current Sultan. Valide was in charge of managing the harem. She enjoyed great respect and influence both inside and outside the palace, actively interfering in state affairs. All the great concubines of the famous Women's Sultanate had this title. These are the well-known ones - Turhan Sultan, Kösem Sultan, Safiye Sultan, Nurbanu Sultan. These four women were the most famous bearers of this title. In total, this title was awarded to twenty-three women during the Ottoman Empire. The Valide Sultan had income (bashmalyk) from the Sultan's lands in various parts of the empire, owned summer and winter estates, and also received gifts from the Ottoman nobility and foreign states. The affairs of the Valide Sultan outside the palace were managed by the Babussaade agalars (heads of the white eunuchs). The Valide Sultans invested significant capital in the waqfs (funds) they established in Istanbul, Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. The waqfs were monitored by Darussaade agasy (the head of the black eunuchs).
The harem could be controlled even without the title Valide, that is, while still under the sultan. So, in the 16th century, the Sultan’s harem was ruled for the longest time by Haseki Hurrem Sultan, who never bore the title Valide (she died during her husband’s lifetime and did not see her son reign). She ruled Suleiman's harem for twenty-four years.
If we talk about the chronological sequence in which the Sultan’s harem was controlled in the 16th century, it looks like this:
Valide Ayşe Hafsa Sultan - reign: 1520-1534
Haseki Hurrem Sultan - reign: 1534-1558
Mihrimah Sultan - reign: 1558-1566
Haseki (received the title Valide in 1574) Nurbanu Sultan - reign: 1566-1583
Haseki (received the title Valide in 1595) Safiye Sultan - reign: 1583-1603
Such a strict hierarchy helped maintain at least some kind of discipline in the harem, in this female kingdom. Although, “wars” and “disasters” of various scales often occurred.
Still from the series “The Magnificent Century. Kösem" (This is still a controversial situation, since the grandson is already ruling, and the grandmother still cannot be sent to the Old Palace) (from left to right - Valide Handan Sultan, the Sultan’s aunt Fatma Sultan, “Grand” Valide Safiye Sultan, standing Cennet Kalfa, Haseki Kösem Sultan, Halime Sultan (mother of the Sultan's brother) Since the publication of the photo of the harem of the Iranian Shah, many have suffered severe disappointment. Mustachioed and fat women our contemporaries did not coincide with their romantic ideas about the beautiful inhabitants of the harem. Users were especially impressed by this photo of the Shah with his beloved wife (on the right). If this is a beauty, then what can we say about others?
However, there is something to talk about. First of all, these photos of an Iranian harem are not real. In fact, these are photographs of male actors of the first state theater created in 1890 by order of Shah Nasereddin (a great lover of European culture) at the Dar el-Funun Polytechnic School. The theater performed satirical plays only for the palace nobility. The organizer of this theater was Mirza Ali Akbar Khan Naggashbashi, the founder of modern Iranian theater.
Women were forbidden to perform on stage, so their roles, as in the ancient Greek theater, were performed by men.
A selection of real photographs of the inhabitants of the harem
Secondly, there are very few real photographs of women from the harem. Men were prohibited from entering there. And the art of photography was just gaining its popularity.
Concubine, 1875
Women from the harem going for a walk. Photo from the Museum of Peru (Istanbul)
Woman in a harem with a hookah, Türkiye, 1916
Circassian women were especially popular in harems for their beauty and grace. Here, for example, is a photo of Gvashemash Kadin Efendi, wife of Sultan Abdul Hamid II
Her mother, Geverin Nedak Seteney, together with her sister, was kidnapped by Turkish slave traders around 1865 in Circassia, shortly before devastated by Russian troops, and sold into slavery in the harem of Sultan Abdul Aziz I. On the way to Istanbul, Geverin's sister, not wanting to be slave, threw herself overboard and drowned.
And this is presumably the mother of Gwashemash - Nedak Setenei. The painting is called “Circassian woman under the veil” and was created by the French orientalist artist Jean-Leon Gerome during his trip to Istanbul in 1875-76.
A very young Circassian woman in the Sultan’s harem
Gulfem Hatun - second concubine Ottoman Sultan Suleiman, mother of Shehzade Murad, Circassian
Khyurem Sultan, the same Roksolana (1502-1558) was his concubine-favorite, and then the main and legal wife of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent
Women of the Harem, 1912
Ottoman odalisque, 1890
And here are photos of real Turkish women (period 1850-1920)
Paintings by artists who saw harems with their own eyes.
CHARLES-FRANÇOIS JALABERT NÎMES 1819 – 1901. Ottoman woman in traditional dress
FRENCH SCHOOL XIXTH CENTURY. Ottoman Empire Woman
Frederick Arthur Bridgman (1847 – 1928) Stay in Egypt in 1873-1974 led to a series of paintings and the East
Franz Eisenhut, Captive in the Harem
Fabio Fabbi, sale of concubines