How did you get into the harem? Surely you will remember that concubines were captured in overseas campaigns, but that's not all.
The very word "harem" means "that which is forbidden." Indeed, the harems of the sultans were very strictly guarded from prying eyes. But now we know what really happened there.
No one could enter the harem voluntarily
For one simple reason: the future concubines of the great sultan preferred to "grow" on the spot. Parents sold their daughters to the harem at a very young age, and already there the girl was raised in accordance with her future tasks. They taught literacy, theology, the art of dance, music, etiquette and the ability to conduct a conversation. And, of course, one of the main disciplines was the art of giving a man sexual pleasure. After the girl grew up and became a girl, she was shown to the Sultan. And, if he did not find a flaw in her, her parents were paid an impressive amount, and they, in turn, refused all rights to their daughter. If the girl did not grow up beautiful enough, no one kicked her out of the harem. The parents were simply paid less.
But, despite the fact that the girls were actually sold to the harem as slaves, many dreamed of getting there. Only foreign women, who, of course, were kidnapped, did not dream about it.
Promotional video:
Golden cage
We are used to thinking of the harem as a "golden cage", in fact - a prison. In fact, this was not the case. First, the women left the walls of the palace (of course, in closed carriages and accompanied by horse guards, but nevertheless). Secondly, the concubine had the right to leave the harem forever. In the event that the sultan's favorable glance did not fall on her for 9 years, the woman had the right to leave the harem and marry anyone she liked. Moreover, she was entitled to a solid "severance pay".
Hierarchy
Several hundred women could live in a harem, and, naturally, their relationship demanded a strict hierarchy, otherwise it would be difficult to restrain the temperament of the young ladies. Everyone was supposed to know their place and strive to take the best, of course. So the lowest stage is jariye. That was the name of the girls who had just entered the harem. Most of them have never changed their status, remaining in the first step. Their responsibilities included cleaning, doing small errands, and serving women in higher "positions". Intimacy with the master was impossible for the jariye.
Odalyk is the next step. If the jariye were, in fact, slaves, then these young ladies did not bother themselves with work. They were the ones who had the opportunity to leave the harem if the sultan did not pay attention to them.
Iqbal is the highest caste, constant favorites of the Sultan.
The Sultan is already official wives, of whom the Sultan could have up to 8. However, the rulers quickly nullified the tradition of marrying concubines. However, it is known that the wives of the sultans were not limited to power in the harem, but took part in state affairs. In order to take this place of honor, it was required to give birth to a son to the Sultan.
Haseki is a title that Sultan Suleiman introduced for his wife Khyurrem Sultan. The peculiarity of this title is that it could not be alienated: no matter how many children the Haseki had and what gender they were, no matter whether her husband ruled, no one had the right to take this title.
Valide is the highest female title in the Ottoman Empire. Valide is the mother of the ruling sultan. Valide ruled the harem, and in fact, sometimes the whole country.
Beauty standards
Naturally, the standards of beauty were set by the sultan himself, and sometimes these standards were very different from what we consider beautiful today. Moreover, the girls' appearance was not really that much appreciated. The main selection criterion was the structure of the girl's vagina. A certain type of structure of intimate organs was appreciated, and even an exceptionally beautiful young lady could not pass the "selection" simply because nature gave her an "uncomfortable" vagina.
That same night
Before admitting the concubine to the Sultan's chambers, she was taught the art of controlling intimate muscles. For example, using a stone egg: this object with a thread tied to it was placed in the girl's vagina and pulled by the thread, and she had to hold the egg in herself until the thread broke. Another technique was colored water: liquid was injected into the vagina, and the girl had to perform a dance without spilling a drop. And only after that she could claim the attention of the Sultan. And this moment was also subject to strict regulations.
In order to choose a woman with whom you want to spend the night, the sultan expressed a desire to listen to music or watch a dance. The concubines showed the Sultan their skills, and he chose the one with whom he wanted to spend the night. The sultan either kept his eyes on her, or threw a handkerchief at the girl's feet. After that, the concubine was taken away and began to prepare for the night of love. These preparations lasted several hours: a bath, mandatory hair removal (there should be no hair on the concubine's body, including vellus hairs on the back), makeup. Epilation, by the way, was also a way to test the temperament of a concubine. Epilation with sugar syrup (today known as "shugaring") is a rather painful procedure. If the concubine cried out loudly, then she was considered quite temperamental, and if she endured in silence, she was declared frigid,and she no longer had to hope for a night with the Sultan.
In the Sultan's bedroom, the concubine had to kneel down and crawl from the entrance to the bed. It was forbidden to rise to its full height. It was also forbidden to completely naked, but, however, not only to the concubine: according to Islamic laws, a man had no right to expose his dignity, and therefore draped him with clothes or sheets. It was also believed that if he himself saw his penis in the process, then the child conceived at that moment could be born humpbacked.
Woman's happiness
Was it available to the concubines? Hardly. Only the chosen ones, the wives of the Sultan - and those, of course, not forever. On the other hand, they were guaranteed a well-fed, calm life and complete safety. No one would dare to offend the concubine - except for the Sultan himself, of course. For example, Sultan Ibrahim in one day drowned his entire harem in the Bosphorus - 280 women. But most of the sultans, oddly enough, did not care about the harem: for the sultan, a harem is just a symbol of power, like a scepter or a crown. And for a concubine - a ghostly chance someday to win in a fierce competitive struggle and achieve a high title. There is no time for little things like female happiness, in fact.