With every sunrise, the household of Valide Sultan (Queen Mother) went through the hustle-bustle of training all the slave concubines to entertain the Sultan in his bed chambers. The competition was pretty fierce. Only a few with exceptional beauty got a green ticket to the Sultan's court. The more special you’re to the Sultan, the more power and influence you had over the harem’s affair.
After being sold off by parents in the slave market for luxury, who wouldn’t want to climb the ladder of power to protect their honour? The patriarchal nature bound the harem with forbidden rules.
The women in the harem were organized in a strict hierarchy. The paramount chief of the harem was Valide Sultan. She was the legal mother of the ruling Sultana. Not even a leaf could move without her permission. She influenced the matters to the extent that she decided which concubine would get Sultan’s attention. Well! To see the Sultana, you would need to impress her first.
No concubine could leave or enter the premises of the harem without the permission of the most powerful woman, Valide Sultan.
Considerable power these slave women had in those times was being closed to the Sultan. Do you talk about individual rights and freedom? Well, those were the mere words. The superiority of Sultan was so embedded in the harem that any vegetable or fruit which looked like male genitals was sliced first in the kitchen before it was served to concubines.
Nothing much has changed even after 500 years. To date, there are many countries that have banned sex toys.
Whosoever created the administration of harem, definitely thought thoroughly. Any concubines taken by the palace were made sure to be not married. A married woman would have a lineage and sure to be inclined towards her own family affairs. ‘Only for Sultan’ is what the administration swore to follow.
According to Muslim Law, men are forbidden to lay their eyes on other man’s women. To cut through the solution, where women weren’t considered strong enough to be guards, the Ottoman’s preferred eunuchs. These men were usually enslaved in wars and castrated by Upper Egyptians for doing business in the slave market of Cairo. To cool down the sexual tension of protecting the concubines from other men, eunuchs were not considered threatening.
The 600 concubines in the Imperial Harem were inspected by a doctor to make sure they hadn’t had sexual relationships with other men. Only virgins were allowed to enter the gates of the harem.
Women slaves were mainly from the Balkan, Circassia, Georgia, and Russia. After entering the imperial harem, the administration renamed them with exotic and romantic Persian names. Roxalena, a slave concubine, was renamed Hurrem by Suleiman himself. It means the “cheerful one”.
According to the records, in the early days, the concubine wore placards around their neck with their new name on it. So, they remember each other's names.
Newly taken concubines were first to be trained with music, art, dance, palace customs and etiquettes. On one subject they did an extensive study, which was the sensual arts. They were presented to the Sultan only after a particular training period.
Hurrem Sultan, the first legal wife of Sultana is believed to enchant Sultana with her delicate dance.
One could obtain their independence after serving the Sultan for eight years. Those who didn’t want to continued their life in the harem. Sultan’s favourite sexual role was over after bearing a son. Nobody should be overpowered!
Hurrem Sultan had 5 sons and a daughter with Suleiman Sultan. It took only a few months for her to become the most important consort to Sultana. Love does make us break all the rules.
Women of the harem were directly brought from the slave market. They weren’t accepted as gifts by other kings or rulers. Though the concubines were showered with gifts from the Sultan. They were also provided with wages. What do you do with the wages when you cannot go outside to indulge in personal pleasures? Unless you want to conspire within the harem.
The literal meaning of Harem means isolated from the outside world. A forbidden place where only females can live. The harem apartments were built away from the official palace and city. Every facility was provided right inside the harem from the palace treasury. A 24/7 hospital functioned to keep the diseases at bay.
