Male harem of Turkish sultans. What is a harem in the Ottoman Empire

18.04.2019

Biography Haruki Murakov Haruki Murakami emphasis

Translation of a small piece from the book of the famous Turkish professor-Ommanist Ilber Orthaila « Life in the palace».

It is known that since Sultan Orhan Gazi married Halfer (Nillyufer), the daughter of the Byzantine emperor, almost all daughter-in-law of the dynasty were foreigners. And do there exist in the world of the dynasty that were in power, but at the same time do not mix blood with foreign princesses? And this only recently began to rise the topic of cultural problems of self-identification with a foreigner's mother, in the Ottoman Empire there was nothing like that. The boys and girls converted to Islam in the palace and in the corps were trained in Turkish language and Islamic culture. Ukrainian Roksolana became Cheerrend and learned the Turkish for several years so well that could write poems on it. History suggests that the Ottoman dynasty just did a lot to preserve the Turkish culture. Since 1924, growing and students abroad in exile, descendants of the genus are not able to enter their homeland, but at the same time, until recently, they granted Turkish and knew all the Turkish traditions and customs. It is an excellent example and bright heritage of beautiful palace education.

Garem value

Harem in Arabic learns "Forbidden and Mystery." Opposite what the majority considers, harem is not a concept characteristic exclusively for Eastern Muslims, it is universally, i.e. It was in the go in different places and in different times. At the same time, it is impossible to say that the nation or rulers who have no harem were more respectful towards women.

Harem is the most famous place of the Topkapi Palace, which is said to the most. But this is the place, the idea of \u200b\u200bwhich is very far from the truth. Garem ranked first in the palace and state protocol, because it is the abode of Padishah; And at the head of the monastery stood Sultan.

A harem means "the most secret and hidden part of human life, the most unsuccessful part of the house." Contrary to generally accepted opinion, the harem was not only in Middle Eastern Muslims, closed for external access parties were in the palaces of China, India, Byzantium, Ancient Iran and even Renaissance Italy, in Tuscany and at the court of Patriczian Florence. There were also concubines, and women and girls of the highest class, which lived away from other people's views. In the Ottoman Palace, the same Garem was the Institute.

Education in Harem

Some of the haremis girls were married to young officials treated in Enderun (the male part of the Palace, which includes the best school in the state, preparing from statesmen). Moreover, for suitable states. The figures were given even sisters and daughters of Sultan. Despite the fact that up to the 16th century, representatives of the Ottoman dynasty married foreigners (Muslims or not) from other dynasties, after the 16th century, this practice ceased, also ceased to give daughter-in-law girls from the Ottoman kind. In this sense, Garem was a place in which the girls were trained and prepared for marriage with the class of managers who were preparing in Enderun. The girls in Garem were taken not only for them to be wives or the favorite of Sultan. They were also bought in Harem and turned to Islam in order for happiness to find them elsewhere. Girls with outstanding abilities who liked Sultan, remained in the palace as employees, and then those of them that Turkish and Islam will be well learned and fully assimiced in the Palace Ottoman civilization, they were married to the immigrants from the endarun, which went to Birun (state class managers). Once the devshire was not "blood aristocrats" and did not have any legal grounds to qualify for power, the Ottoman Tips did not exceed the people. The ruling class was formed through marriage. And as long as representatives of this class were in shape and moved with brains, they remained under the ruler, but it was worth it only to be stupid, they were immediately honored from this class, because they had no legal rights to power.

Croatakes, Grechany, Russians, Ukrainians and Georgians took in Harem. There were even girls from Italy and France. But the Armenians and the Jews were part of the subjects, therefore the Armenians and the Jewish did not take in the harem, and the Armenians and Jews did not take the KaPukukula to the Corps, did not pay for Muslims and did not take into military service. Girls from Muslim nations were taken to the galem so rarely that it can be called an exception. Of course, the fate of harem girls, like everywhere, folding very differently.

Valida Sultanshi and Haseki

At the head of the harem stood the mother of Padishah - Valida Sultan. According to historians, Hatice, Turkhan Sultan (mother Mehmed IV) at one time loved the people very much. But Ködesem Sultan, on the contrary, was a malfunctive valid, but on the day of her murder, a large number of people in Istanbul remained hungry, and many poor brides were left without dowry (approx. Per-Ködesedese Sultan organized free kitchens for the poor and provided a printer who had givenmen).

Ememetulls Rabia Gulnush Sultan (1642-1715)

Among those were such as Gulnush Sultan, who lived a long and happy life. Gulnush - Favorite Haseki Mehmed IV, inseparable with him until the end of life. For a long time she was Valid Sultan, because he was Musafy II and Ahmed III Mother III. The people loved her, she built a mosque in an acchecade, which can be called an example of Ottoman Baroque, her grave is there in the same place. Because of her name, which means "such a rose", in its open turbine, rose bushes are always planted. But her husband, like the two sons, were reset from the throne. There are also such haseks who had to endure the unfortunate fate of their husbands and sons-rulers, like Gulnush Sultan. For example, remember the mother of Sultan Abdulhaziz - Pertivnia Valida Sultan. Haseki and Valis, the husbands and sons of whom they died, were forced to move to the old palace, no matter how sad it was.

There were those who got into the harem, received an education and left him, successfully married. There were those who were married to ordinary, no remarkable men. Some of them, as, for example, Kethudi Def and Gam Hatun, tower up to quite high positions (Haznedar Magnifier - a treasurer), and some worked at ordinary positions and even worked out. First, the girls taught Turkish, then the Koran and Lette. The girls also received the lessons of oriental dances, music, elegant arts, etc. In addition, they necessarily studied the palace protocol, etiquette and rules of good tone. Thanks to the knowledge of religion and the main thing - traditions and rules of behavior where they lived, they were all called "palace ladies" and extremely respected for their upbringing. If a woman lived in a kind of area, this was enough to educate this in order for the whole area to learn the Palace Turkish and Palace etiquette. And those who lived next to these educated women passed the knowledge gained for several generations.

Politics and intrigues in the harem is only a short period of long history. After Ködesem Sultan was killed as a result of a conspiracy, Harem returned to the circles to a calm and measured life. Venetianka Bafo (Nurban or Safiya Sultan), Hurrem Sultan, Ködem Sultan - these are the names that are usually remembered in the context of political intrigues. Turkhan Sultan and her daughter-in-law Gulnush Ememetulls did not interfere in politics.

Kyzlar-Agi, black eunuhi, undoubtedly the saddest characters of the harem. Their leader was Darisssaida-Aga, the main Kyzlar Aga, the post of which was very high in a harem hierarchy. From the tradition of taking in the Garem of Black Enunov refused in the 19th century, despite this for the Republican years in some areas of Istanbul, black eunuhs often met as the balance of the former traditions.

Writing something about the harem is an ungrateful matter, because everyone prefer to see only erotic legends described earlier. Everyone knows how Buckle in His time: everyone remembers the kings who cut the head, and their palace intrigues. Or France. Ottoman harem did not even stand closely with those debauchery that reigned in the palaces of these two countries. Books about harem and second-rate novels on the topic of harem life always caused questions. Garem is one of those topics that all the mountains talk about, but no one actually owns her. And it is obvious that everything is too superficially assessed the complexity of life in a harem, those smart and talented women who lived in it, a cultural context and the State Institute, which was harem.

Harem was not free space exclusively for entertainment, first of all it was a house. And it must be treated with respect, as well as any home of any family.

Until the end of the 15th century, Ottoman Padishahi was a polygamy, but preferred daughters of the neighboring rulers. Orhahan Gazi married the daughter of Cantakuzine Princess Feodore, Murad I - on the daughter of Emperor Emmanuel. Yildem Basesid Han married the daughter of the Hermian Governor Kutahna Suleiman Khan, then on the Byzantine Princess, then on one of the daughters of Serbian despot and, finally, on the daughter of Aydynoglu Isa Bay Hafs Hatun. Some marriages of Baseide II had certain strategic goals, it is obvious.

Although recently its origin is doubtted, but the last princess of blue blood in the dynasty was the wife of Sultan Yavuza Selima and Valida Kanuni Sultan Suleiman - the daughter of the Crimean Khan Mengyley Giraya Hafs Hatun.

Grandma of the genus Ottomans Hurrem Sultan was a smart and beautiful Ukrainian, which Europeans called Roxolant, and the Canow Sultan Suleiman gave her the title "Sultansh", despite the fact that she died before her children went to the throne. Another grandmother of the Ottoman Dynasty Hatice Turkhan Sultan, the wife of Ibrahim I and Mother Mehmed IV was also a Ukrainian. So it is clear that our Ottoman Dynasty is a mixture of Turkish and Ukrainian blood. Those who were painful and more times could rise to Valis Sultan.

The concubines that came to Harem are or girls who were captured by the warriors of the Crimean Khanate in the steppes of Ukraine and Poland, or girls purchased at the slave markets with special attorneys, such as Azov or Caffsky (Feodosian) Bay, or beauties captured Pirates, kiced between the islands in the Mediterranean. For example, a representative of the parents of Bafo Nurban or Safia Sultan, by origin of Venetian, just from the latter. In addition, girls from extremely poor families also got into the harem, whom their families were given in a harem or slaves to save themselves.

In the 19th century, the situation has changed dramatically. In the harem of her daughters, the noble Circassian and Abkhaz gifts were sent to the dynasty and caliph, they believed that they were sending brides for the dynasty. For example, the fourth wife Abdulhamid II and the mother of Aishe Sultan - the daughter of one of the Abkhaz Beeys Agyr Mustafa Bay.

Old Palace Bases, now this building of the University of Istanbul

As in any society, in the harem also had its drawbacks. Those who were beautiful and cleverly became the favorite and Odaliski Sultan, then Haseki - Mothers, or, perhaps, once became the Sultan Valid. And here you can not guess. Who knows, maybe Khaseki, which was sent to the old palace, because her husband died in Padishah, one day will return to the topkaps in the status of Valid Sultan, welcomed with the big honors of Yanychar's pens throughout the path from the Bestis, and then in the palace she kisses her hands himself Sultan, because this her son became a padishah.

By the type of the students of Endoruna went to Birun and received government positions, the same residents of Harem were married to the palace or other states. employees. Literacy rate in the palace was very high. Some concubines wrote even a literate of some Shehzade.

Palace Protocol inevitably had similarities with the palace protocol of European states. In the 19th century, the Ottoman Palace visited some European monarchs and the Crown Prince of Balkan states (for example, Bulgaria). The system of international diplomacy of the Palace is the central state apparatus, which recognized the Vienna diplomatic legal law. According to these protocols, the place of Harem and Hymayun has changed, the life and education of Sultansky wives and women has changed. The cause of these changes was, including external pressure. In the period of the second intercession, foreign ambassadors and even guests of the Egyptian prince and some government figures participated in the receptions and points accompanied by their ladies, which cannot be said about the residents of the Ottoman Palace.

Interior decoration of the Palace of Beilerbey

In the past 50 years of the Empire, Empress of France, Eugene solely made a return visit on behalf of Napoleon III, German Kaiser Wilhelm came three times (once with the Empress), despite the fact that the Emperor of Austria-Hungary Carl came to the Empress of the Zita, on all receptions, greetings And he was only with Padishah. There were no women on official receptions. But the visitors of the Empress visited Valide Sultan and other ladies in the harem, the same, in turn, made a retaliatory visit to the Palace of Beilerbey, in which guests lived. These are changes due to which the women of the dynasty were able to participate in the State Protocol. Thanks to this, the number of girls owning European languages \u200b\u200bincreased among the female part of the harem.

How many romantic and not very rumors, how many reassigns and crosses, and sometimes, and direct condemnation causes one mention of the word "harem". Most often, we imagine a kind oriental brothel, or, in the crushing case, the image of the French film "Angelica and Sultan" arises with the crowds of disadvantaged, the death of the monarch, maiden, but in practice, the case was not so ...

Harem (from Arabic Haram - a separate, prohibited) - a closed and guarded residential part of the palace or at home, in which the wives of a high-ranking eastern statesman lived. Women, as a rule, were under the supervision of the first wife or Enev. The first wife had the right to divide the title of the owner of the Harem.

In fact, much more often, the caliph, speaking of his "huram" - a plural of the same word - meant women at the court, and in a broader sense of the word - all under his protection. The huram was rather a group of people than a certain structure or physical location. Venetian Ottaviano Bon, the Renaissance Traveler, so describes the harem: "In his housing, women live as a nun in the monastery." And just below: "The girls tear all the former links once and for all, as soon as they come to Serala. They get new names. "

In Turkish harem was called "Saray" (Saray), that is, a large house or palace. Hence the French "Serala", as they loved to call the Sultan's chambers in Europe in the XVIII-XIX centuries, drawing a voluntary image of a huge public house in his imagination.
The Venetian Ambassador to Turkey, which served there in the XVII century, writes that the complex of buildings, known to submeemed, included many buildings and pavilions interconnected by terraces. The main one was a magnificent carved pavilion, where there was a throne room.

All the servants of this and other buildings, as well as the harem consisted of men. Hammer himself was a huge monastery, where bedrooms, refectory rooms, bathrooms and other premises of various kinds designed to create amenities for women lived. It was surrounded by huge flower flower beds and fruit gardens. In hot weather, the inhabitants of the harem walked along the cypress alleys and enjoyed the cool, which emanated from the fountains, which were arranged in a considerable amount.

However, these were just idle conjectures, although the number of Sultan slaves can not really not impress. So, with Mehmeda III (1568-1603) there were about five hundred.

For the "honor" to sell his daughter in the Sultan Garem, even noble families fought. In the sultan harem there was very little slaves, they constituted an exception, and not a rule. Priorities-slaves were used on rough work and as maiders for concubines. The accompli selected very carefully from the girls who were sold with their parents to school with a harem and held special training in it.

It was replenished with seeral and pricens captured in military campaigns purchased at the slave markets or presented to the Sultan approximate. Usually they took Cherkushki, which then called all residents of the North Caucasus. In a special price there were Slavs. But in principle, anyone could be in the harem. For example, there spent most of his life Frenchman Eme de Rivery, Cousin Josephine Bogarna, the future wife of Napoleon. In 1784, on the way from France on Martinique, she was captured by Algerian pirates and sold on the slave market. Fate was favorable to her - later she became the mother of Sultan Mahmoud II (1785-1839).

Usually the age of young slaves amounted to 12-14 years. They were selected not only on beauty and health, but also by the mind: "Durice" did not take, because Sultan was not needed not just a woman, but also the interlocutor. Admitted in Garem passed two-year training under the guidance of Calph (from Turkish Kalfa - "Head") - old experienced slaves, remembering the grandfathers of the reigning sultans. The girls were taught by Koran (all those who fell in Harem took Islam), dancing, the game on musical instruments, elegant literature (many oodalist wrote good poems), calligraphy, art conversation and needlework. It is especially worth saying about the courtieth ethics: Each slave should have known how to pour her lord with pink water, how to bring his shoes to him, serve coffee or sweets, stuffing the tube or wear a bathrobe.

Konstantinople, Arabia and some other countries associated with various Indian and Eastern religious concepts, were always guarded by eunuch. And only them allowed to enter inside. ENUOV used out of simple precaution - so that the package would live safe and imprisoned only their owner.

There were three types of ENUHOV: the complete, which was still deprived of the reproduction bodies in childhood; Incomplete, which devoured only the testicles only, and, finally, the eunuch, whose testicles were atrophy due to the fact that they were subjected to special friction in childhood.

The first type was considered the most reliable, other two - no, since they still awakened a sexual desire at the beginning of youth maturation. The first, thanks to castration, changed physically and mentally, they did not grow a beard, the larynx was a small size and therefore the voice sounded in childish; In character, they approached women. The Arabs argued that they live long and die before reaching 35 years.

The main idea was that the eunu was sexually neutral, he had no female nor male signs of sex and, thus, his presence in the harem did not violate the atmosphere of this special place, and he remained anyway Below the owner of Seraral.

Finding into the harem, the girls studied etiquette, rules of behavior, ceremonies and waited for the only moment when they see Sultan. By the way, this moment could not be. Never.

One of the most common rumors is the one that Sultan entered into intimate relationships with all women. In fact, it was not at all. Sultans behaved proudly, with dignity, and very rarely who humiliated to the frank depravity. For example, a unique case in Harem's history is the loyalty to Sultan Suleiman's his wife Roksolane (Anastasia Lisovskaya, Hurm). For many years he slept only with one woman - with his beloved wife. And it was rather a rule than the exception.

Most of their concubines (Odalisok) Sultan did not even know in the face. It makes one more opinion that the concubine was doomed to eternal life in the harem. After 9 years, the concubine, never chosen by the Sultan, had the right to leave the harem. Sultan found her husband and gave dowry. The slave received a document that it is now a free person. Unfortunately, family life rarely developed successfully. Getting used to living in idleness, contentment, women left their husbands. Garem was for them to be a paradise, and the house of her husband - hell.

Odalisok was usually forced to be protected from pregnancy using homeopathic ointments and decoctions. But, of course, such protection was not effective enough. Therefore, in the back half of the Palace, Topkapi has always been distributed twitter of children's votes. My daughters were simple. They received a good education and married the highest officials. But the boys - Shah-Zade - were not only a source of maternal joy. The fact is that every Shah-Zade, it does not matter whether he was born from his wife or concubine, belonged to the right to claim the throne. Formally, the reigning Sultan inherited a senior man in the family. But in fact different options were possible. Therefore, in the harem there was always a hidden, but merciless struggle between mothers (and their allies), dreaming that they someday will be able to get the title of Valida Sultan.

In general, the fate of Shah-Zade was unquest. With the eight years of each of them were placed in a separate room, called Cafe - Cell. From now on, they could only communicate with servants and teachers. They have ever seen only in the most exceptional cases - at large celebrations. They received a good education in the so-called "school of princes", where they were taught writing, reading and interpreting the Quran, mathematics, history, geography, and in the XIX century there is still French, dancing and music.

After completing the course of science and the onset of the majority of Shah-Zade, they changed servants: now slaves serving and guarding them were replaced by deaf-and-dumb. The same were an oodalist, precast their nights. But they not only could not hear and say, they were removed ovarian and uterus, in order to prevent the appearance of illegitimate children in the harem.

Thus, Shah-Zade was the link that combined a harem life with a large policy sphere, turning the mother, wives and concubines to Sultan in independent power, which has a direct impact on state affairs. The struggle of the parties at times acquired an exceptional character in its despair. The fact is that by order of Mehmed II (İKINCI Mehmet, 1432-1481), the new Sultan was to kill all his brothers. So it was assumed to avoid the backstage political struggle. But in fact, this measure led to the opposite: the doomedness of Shah-Zade was forced to fight them even more actively for power - after all, besides his head, there was nothing to lose. The cell and deaf-and-dumb guard here did not help here, the harem was filled with secret connected and informants. Decree Mehmed II was canceled only in 1666. However, by this time, the harem was already an integral part of the domestic political life of the Ottoman Empire.

The daughters were somewhat different attitude. Daughters of Sultan (princesses), who completed training, should have been wearing long clothes and cover the head of the Calma. Upon reaching the marriage age, they were married to the princes from neighboring principalities, and when they were not - for the viziers, Pasha and other officials of the empire. In the latter case, Sultan ordered the Great Vizir to find a suitable candidate. If the candidate selected by the Grand Vizier was married, he was forced to divorce. They did not have the right to divorce the daughter of Sultan, while the latter, on the contrary, could do it with the permission of the Father. In addition, the husbands of the princesses who wearing the title of Damad (son-in-law of Sultan), had to forget about concrete forever.

Daughters Sultan arranged a magnificent wedding. The city was decorated with arches, flags, fireworks flashed at night in the sky, the festival for the bride passed in the harem. Dowry exhibited in the palace in order for him to be contemplating the people. Perhaps the brightest part of the wedding was the evening of henna, who was considered a symbol of well-being and abundance, when the bride was painted with a hnee nails and fingers. This tradition is still preserved in Anatolia.

In the harem there were several categories of women: slaves, Güzid and Ikbal, and his wife Sultan.

For a long time, Ottoman Padishahi was married only on titled words, most often European and Byzantine princesses, but after the tradition of taking a slave of Harem to his wife, Cherkushki, Georgians and Russians used the greatest preference.

Sultan could have four favorite - Güzid. Choosing a concubine for the night, Sultan sent her a gift (often - shawl or ring). After that, she was sent to the bath, dressed in beautiful clothes and sent to the door of the Sultan's bedroom. She was waiting outside the door until Sultan fell into bed. Entering the bedroom, she crawled on his beds to bed, kissed the carpet and only then had the right to divide the bed. In the morning, Sultan sent rich gifts to the concubine if he liked the night with her.

If the concubine pregnant, she was translated into the discharge of happy - Ikbal. And after the birth of the child (regardless of the floor), he received a separate room and a daily menu of 15 dishes. Four wives Sultan chose personally. The wife received a new name, written evidence of his status, individuals, clothes, jewels, many slave-maid. And only one of his wives Sultan could give the title of sultach. Sultansh (the highest title) received a new name again, and only her son could inherit the throne.

The first wife was called the main, the rest respectively - the second, etc. New Kadyn Efendi received a written testimony, she was ordered new clothes, and then a separate room was distinguished. The main keeper of the harem and her assistant introduced it into the course of imperial traditions. The Sultans spent the night with whom they wanted, but the night from Friday on Saturday they were obliged to spend only with one of their wives. That was the order, consecrated by the tradition of Islam. If the wife was not with her husband for three fridays in a row, she had the right to refer to Cadi (judge). For the sequence of meetings wives with Sultan followed the Guardian of Harem.

The laws on the inheritance of the throne set that the power from the deceased Sultan is not going his son, but a senior man from the living family members. Mehmed Conqueror, well-tunable in palace intrigues, formulated the provisions that the Ottoman Empire lived over the centuries. These rules, in particular, allowed Sultan to kill all the male half of their relatives to provide a throne for their own offspring. The result of this in 1595 was a terrible bloodshed when Mehmed III was executed by the nineteen of his brothers, including babies, and seven pregnant concubines of her father ordered to tie in bags and drown in the Marmara.

"After the funeral of the princes, the crowd of the people gathered near the Palace to watch, as the mother of the dead princes and the wives of the old Sultan leaving the places there. For their export, all crews, carriages, horses and mules were used, which only were in the palace. In addition to the wives of the old Sultan, twenty-seven of his daughters were sent to the old palace. Rowelel in the book "Queen Elizabeth and the Levancen Company" (1604).
In 1666, Selim II, my decree, softened the harsh deposition of the conqueror laws. According to a new decree, the imperial prince was given life, but before the death of the ruling Sultan they were forbidden to participate in public affairs.
From this point on, the princes were kept in a cafe (golden cell), a room adjacent to the harem, but reliably isolated from it.

The whole life of the princes passed out of any connection with other people, except for several concubines who had ovaries or uterus. If, at someone, some woman pregnantly pregnant from the prisoner, it was immediately treated at sea. The princes guarded the guards, whose drumpipes were punctuated, and the languages \u200b\u200bwere cut. This deaf-and-dumb guard could be as necessary and killers of prisoners.
Life in the golden cage was tortured by fear and torment. Unfortunate did not know anything about what was happening behind the walls of the Golden Cell. At any moment, Sultan or palace conspirators could kill everyone. If the prince survived in such conditions and became the heir to the throne, he was most often just not ready to rule a huge empire. When Murad IV died in 1640, his brother and successor Ibrahim I was so frightened by the crowds rushing into a golden cage to proclaim it with a new Sultan, which barricaded in his rest and did not go out until they brought and showed him the body of the dead Sultan. Suleiman II, spending thirty-nine years in Cafess, became a real ascetic and became interested in calligraphy. Already being Sultan, he repeatedly expressed the wish to return to this quiet session in solitude. Other princes, as mentioned by Ibrahim I, escaped to freedom, started in a wild rampant, no matter how the fate for exposed years. The golden cell devoured her creators and turned them into slaves themselves.

Moorish. Harem.

In the harem, many women died with young. There are mass stories about brutal murders and poisoning. English ambassador to Istanbul reported in 1600,
that such cases in the harem is the countless set. Many women were treated. The chief black eunuch had enough unfortunate, pushed them into the bag and pulled the neck. Such bags drove into the boat, drove not far from the coast and threw into the water.
In 1665, several women of the courtyard Mehmed IV accused the fact that they allegedly stole a diamonds from the cradle of the royal sibling and to hide the theft, arranged a fire, which caused significant damage to the harem and other parts of the palace. Sultan ordered to immediately suffer these women.
Mehmed conqueror killed Yatgana his wife Irina. Later, she was declared a martyr and, like all the martyrs, was proclaimed saint that she took her place in paradise.
"Blessed, having delighted his lord, will she appear before him in paradise," says one Islamic text. "As a young moon, she will keep her youth and beauty, and her husband will always be no older and not the younger than thirty one year." Perhaps Mehmed remembered these words when he raised Yatagan on her.
Big Searal, Golden Cell and Harem - It was the kingdom of passions and sophisticated torment, where intimidated women, together with men who were difficult to consider men in the full sense of the word, sprill intrigues against the absolute monarch, the decades of those who kept them all with the children in the luxurious ults. It was a tangle of endless conflicts and tragedies, where they suffered and the right, and guilty. And Sultan, king of the kings, the highest court of all things, the lord of the two continents and the two seas, the sovereignt of the East and the West, in turn was the fruit of the Union of the monarch and the slave. His sons and the whole dynasty of Ottomans shared the same fate - these were the kings born by slaves and reproducing their offspring with new slaves.
Cool turns of fate, the fancy game of good and evil in the life of a person in the east is considered as a manifestation of acid (rock, fate). They believe that the fate of each mortal is predetermined in providence. Whether a person is destined to be destined in life or a tragic end is waiting for him - it's kisnet. Vera in Kisnets, both slaves and the rulers, explains the frivolous humility of those and others before deprivation, torture, unhappiness and unexpected troubles that have fallen into the inhabitants of the harem every day.
General sorrow sometimes spent at the inhabitants of this restless house amazing for strength and deep feeling of compassion. With jealousy and envy in the harem, a deep attachment of women, hotly and devotionally loved each other. Strong and durable friendship helped them survive in everyday storms and intrigues. Her examples are the most touching mystery of the harem.

Shopping For the Harem, Giulio Rosati

In 1346, the wedding ceremony of Sultan Orhan and the Byzantine Princess Theodora was unprecedented by his pomp. Konstantinople then did not belong to the Turks, and the Orhan camp stood on the Asian Bosphorian shore. Per
the royal bride Sultan shrewd thirty ships and a large escort of the cavalry. "The curtain fell by the signal," the British historian of Antiquity, Edward Gibbone, writes "decay and wreck of the Roman Empire," and the bride, the victim of a conspiracy appeared; It was surrounded by cranked eunuchs with marriage torches; The sounds of flutes and drums rang out, heated on the beginning of the celebration; Her alleged happiness was messed in marriage chants the best poets of the century. Without any church rite, Theodore gave the Vladyka-Barbar; But it was stipulated that in Harem Bursa would be allowed to preserve his faith. "
The first rulers of the Ottoman Empire married the daughters of the Byzantine emperors and the Balkan kings, as well as on Anatolian princesses. These marriages were exclusively diplomatic events. After the conquest of Constantinople, Harem Sultan began to settle in mostly girls from distant countries. This tradition continued until the last day of the Empire. Since the Garem girls according to the laws of Islam were considered the property of Sultan, his slaves, he was not obliged to marry them. But from time to time, the Lord feared so much to the charm of some girl who played the wedding, as Suleiman Magnificent.
The concubine of Sultan, unlike Odalist, was considered his wives, they could be from four to eight. The first wife was called Baby Kadin (the main woman), behind her - Ikinchi Kadin (the second), for her - won Cadin (third) and so on. If one of his wives was dying, the next rank after her could rise and become in her place, but no earlier than the elder will give permission to Sultan.
It is believed that Sultan really lived with hundreds of women of his harem. But it was not always. For example, when Murad III died, about hundreds of cradle swung in the harem. But some of the sultans, as, for example, Selim I, Mehmed III, Murad IV, Ahmed II, were limited to one wife and, as far as possible, it is possible to judge her loyalty.

MORELLI LA SULTANA E LE SCHIAVE

Most Sultans slept with their favorite concubines in turn, and a certain schedule was established to avoid collisions between them. To identify the legitimacy of the emergence of tsarist offspring, the main treasurer into a special diary entered each "enjoyment on the bed." This amazing chronicle, in addition to the most intimate beddown, has kept such information to this day as the penalty of one of the Suliman wives for selling its turn "Edema on the bed" another woman. To the great disappointment of Europeans, no orgies did not suit the sultan. One can only assume that sexual joy of someone from the most crazy rulers, such as Ibrahim, could have extravagant.
Gerard de Nerval somehow spoke about the harem of Sheikh with Sheikh himself:
It is a harem, as usual ... Several small rooms around big halls. Everywhere sofas and the only object of furniture are low turtle tables. Little niches in closed with panels walls are tired with smoking devices, vases with flowers and coffee kites. The only thing that is not enough in the harem, even in the richest, is the beds.
- Where are all these women and their slaves sleep?
- on sofas.
- But there is no blankets.
~ They sleep dressed. And for the winter there are still woolen and silk bedspreads.
- Fine, and where is the scene of the husband?
- Oh, the husband sleeps in his room, women in their own, and Odaliski on sofas in large rooms. If you are uncomfortable on the couch with pillows, in the middle there are mattresses and sleep on them.
- Right in clothes?
- Always in clothes, truth in the easiest: harshs, vest and bathrobe. The law prohibits both a man and a woman to expound each other next to the neck.
"I can understand," I said, "that the husband may not want to spend the night in the room where dressed women sleep around him, and he is ready to sleep in another room. But if he takes a couple of these ladies to bed ...
- A couple of Troika! - Egregated Sheikh. - Only cattle can afford it! God's righteous! Does there be in general the light of at least one woman, even if the wrong one, who agrees to share his bed with someone? Are they doing so creating in Europe?
- No, in Europe you will not see this; But Christians have one wife, and there they believe that the Turks, having several wives, live with them, as with one.
- If Muslims were so corrupted, as Christians imagine themselves, their wives would immediately demand a divorce, even slaves would have the right to leave them.

When the favor of Sultan to his women was unequal, it caused a storm of passions, ill-witness and hatred. Sultansh, named Ma Hiderwan, for example, Mesouned the face of Roxalen, Gulnushka, from the cliffs in the sea, Odalisk Gulbayaz, said Hurrend, munchedly disappeared. Every glass of Sherbet could be poisoned. In the harem there were unions, conspiracy were conspiracy and conducted silent wars. The situation in it was affected not only on the moral climate of the palace, but also on public policy. "The tough discipline that turned the harem in a real prison was explained by the rapid behavior of women who could lead them to such a breathtaking that he did not bring the Lord," the historian of Alien Grosrikhard writes in the book "Harem structure" (1979).
If Odalisk fell into the bed of the prince, she could become his wife when the prince occupied the throne of Sultan. Sultan's wives could not sit in his presence without permission and possessed submerged manners, said and moved, observing special ceremonies. Sultansh Mother met her son necessarily standing and appealed to him "my lion". The relationship between the wives was obeyed by a certain etiquette. If one wanted to talk on the other, then this desire was transferred through the secretary of Harem. The rules of the harem required to relate to the eldest and politely. All harem women in respect kissed the Sultan's wife's skirt, and that I was politely asked to do this. Princes kissed their father's hand.
Deep mystery surrounds the grave near the tomb of Mehmed's conqueror, in which a unnamed woman rests. Muslim theologians argue that this is the grave of Irina, which Sultan lovedly loved and which he himself killed himself. As William wrote Pointer in his allegory "Palace of pleasures", "Sultan spent all the days and nights with her, and yet the jealousy was eaten."
He promised her everything, but Irina did not want to abandon the Christian faith. Mullah reproached Sultan in indulgence incorrect. The tragic junction describes Richard Davy in the book "Sultan and his subjects" (1897). Once Mehmed collected all the Mulle in the garden of his palace. In the middle stood Irina under the sparkling bedspread. Sultan slowly raised by Cadru, opening the face of fabulous beauty. "Look, such an adorable woman you have never seen," he said, "she is more beautiful than the Guri of your dreams. I love her more than my life. But my life is nothing in comparison with my love for Islam. " With these words, he took Irina for long bright braids and one blow of Yatgana compartment to her head. In the poem "Irina" Charles Goring read:
Jealous of the empire and vain glory
I struck the sword love for the back of the throne
. But answer the beauty on the flame of the love
I would kill the kingdom to her feet.
Suleiman gorgeous executed his gyulfoma when she did not come to him for the night. Sultan Ibrahim during one of his bushes ordered at night to grab all his women, tie in bags and drown in the Bosphorus. This was told by one of the unfortunate, which French sailors saved and brought with them to Paris.
Among the most famous and powerful Sultan, who lived, who loved and the rules in Seraral, are special attention. Each has special features of the century in which she lived. Roksolana (1526 - 1558) was the first woman who became the official wife of Sultan, who entered in Seraral with his royal court, and gained an inseparal influence on the great of the Sultanov - Suleiman of the Great. Longer than all the rules of Sultan Kösem. The legendary life has lived Sultansh Schclylene, French franger Eme De Rivery.
Current windows, winding corridors, marble baths and dust sofas are all that remains from harem inhabitants. But stories about women under Chado, this echo passion and the nigia "thousand and one night" continues to fascinate and attract.

History of Harem in the Ottoman Empire

Kazan researcher Bulat Nogmanov, whose publications read Mintimer Shaimiev, continues to acquaint readers of "real-time" with its observations on the culture and history of Turkey. In today's column, he continues to talk about such a delicate phenomenon in the life of the empire as a sultan harem.

Perhaps one of the most controversial topics in the history of the Ottoman Empire is the topic of the Sultan Garem and the position of its inhabitants. The ideas about the harem were largely formed under the influence of notes and memories of Western travelers and ambassadors allegedly in a harem. It should be noted that at that time it was a rather difficult task, since Garem was a forbidden institution, and there the entrance was ordered not only to strangers, but also the inhabitants of the Sultanian courtyard of the male floor, of course, besides the Sultan himself. In today's note we will try to reveal some secrets of this mysterious institution.

The first European who taught the general public about the harem and its inhabitants was the personal doctor of Sultan Murada III Dominio Hiroso Limiano, who described the planning of Harem and left information about the local traditions, how local women live and about school for Sultan's relatives. The second European, who, according to his personal statements, managed to see some women of Harem, was a master of manufacturing Body Thomas Dalllam. In 1599, Queen Elizabeth, together with Dalllam, directs Sultan Murada III as a gift organ with a watchmaking. However, before the arrival of Delllam in Istanbul Murad IIi dies, and his son Mehmed III dates back to the throne. Nevertheless, the English master delivers a gift, and spends the whole month in the palace, collecting and configuring the body. After that there were many travelers, ambassadors and jewelry masters, who claimed that they were the first to have to visit the harem. However, for most researchers, the main written source is not only on the harem, but also on the history of the Ottoman Empire, the work of the Swedish Embassy of the Muradi d "Osonon" The overall picture of the Ottoman Empire ", which he published in 1791. And as an artistic source depicting Life in the harem, adopted by the famous Melling Engravy. The first Ottoman explorer, who, for a special permit, was able to visit the Topkapi Palace and describe the place of residence of the courtiers, was Abdurahman Eref. The results of their research Eref published between 1910 and 1911.

Antoine-Ignas Melling. In the sultan harem. 1810. Fig. OrientalistStyle.com.

If I were Sultan, I would have a single

The words of the famous song from the movie "Caucasian Captive" were very relevant for the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire. In order to avoid political and legal consequences, with the exception of some rulers, they did not marry, and they took "Jaria", which translates into Russian as "concubine", although the Ottomans themselves were invested in this concept somewhat different meaning - the slave of female or the servant.

So to maintain the Institute "Jaria", which, by the way, was recruited on the principle of "devshirma" (transverse), and a system of harem in the Ottoman Empire was formed. What was the Harem Sultan? First of all, it was a hierarchical system, led by Mother Sultan and the main eunuch, designed to promote the continuation of the kind of Sultan on the male line. Not all the inhabitants of the harem were concubines. Only the most successful girls were allowed to Sultan, who were taught by the basics of Islam, Turkic culture, literature, the art of resentment, embroidery, music and much more. If the School of Enderun at Sultan was preparing future civil servants, then Harem prepared future wives for these most employees. This was done in order for the civil servant appointed to the remote corners of the Empire, did not give birth to relatives with the local population and retained the personal loyalty to Sultan.

Zulfiya My robe strokes at the board

All harem women were busy in various works on the household of the palace. Each of them, depending on the situation and social status, was paid daily monetary content. For example, the mother of Sultan Murada III Nurban received 3,000 accumulating daily. For comparison, at the same time, the head of the Jancharian corps received only 500 accuma. Famous to many readers on the film "Magnificent Age" The wife of Suleiman's magnificent (Canowe) Hurrem Sultan as a daily content received 2,000 accuma. The distribution of wages was engaged in the chief eunuch.

Khurem Sultan. Picture of the XVL century. Ill. wikipedia.org.

The inhabitants of the harem lived in the rooms of five people. To four young girls for the order, a woman at the age was pretended. Sultan's mother and pregnant Jaria, who had the status of Haseki, lived in separate quiet. The biggest authority in the harem was Valida Sultan, i.e. the mother of Sultan Ottoman Empire. After it, the main eunuch, the daughter of Sultan and the dairy mother Sultan.

There was very often disputes between pregnant "wives" of Sultan very often about who from the sons will be the next ruler. Various unions and groups were formed, in which the will of the will not be drawn by Vizyrians, members of the sofa, Janchar Corps and other civil servants. Plowing intrigues, conspiracy and coups were preparing.

In view of the fact that on the legal status of Jaria were slaves, and Islam forbade the enslavement of Muslims, the residents of other cultures and religions were mainly becoming the inhabitants of harem. Among historians there are a commodity opinion that it was this led to decay the Ottoman Empire.

Bulat Nogmanov

reference

Bulat Nogmanov - Researcher, translator.

Born 10/31/1985 in the village of Aplastovo Apastovsky district of the Republic of Tatarstan.
In 2008, he graduated from the International Kazakh-Turkish University. HA. Yasavi in \u200b\u200bthe specialty "international relations".
In 2010 he graduated from the Master of Ankar University for the same specialty.
Participant of ethnographic expeditions.
Member of the Tatarstan branch of the Russian Geographical Society.
Owns English, Turkish and Kazakh languages.

The series "Magnificent Century" loaded Russian spectators for several years to oriental fairy tales. Romance and Intr.

How to prepare concubines: the secrets of the Sultanian harem

17:30 29 December 2016

The series "Magnificent Century" loaded Russian spectators for several years to oriental fairy tales. Romance and intrigue! Tens of beautiful women and, most importantly, men. In many ways, under the influence of a multi-sieved masterpiece, a young Muscovite went to Turkey, married a local macho and entered the University of Istanbul. Here she also discovered sensational documents that helped develop a unique slimming complex. Yana Bay-Lilik shared details.

Minus 10 kilo

"The university is built on the site of the old palace, where concubines of Sultanov were trained in the Middle Ages. Including Suleiman the first, which is shown in the series. I wanted to explore all the documents of the period that were preserved to the present day.

When Harem's household books read: as many fictions in the "magnificent century." That is, writers, artists, and now the directors embellish everything. For the sake of a beautiful story.

The real life of the concubine was three hundred times more boring. But how many useful they did with them to stay beautiful and slender! They have already developed whole complexes of proper nutrition (in the harem there was a rule of seven meals) and reasonable physical exertion. So that the beauties do not pump the press, and remained feminine.

I dropped 10 kilos of excess weight on this diet. I hope the invaluable experience of medieval beauties will come in handy and modern women. "