Fascinating Facts about the Ottoman Harem

10 Fascinating Facts about 

the Ottoman Harem

Whenever we hear the word harem, we tend to imagine a place full of scantily clad women whose only role is to be the sexual plaything of an Ottoman Sultan in his own personal in-house brothel.

This myth lived on in people’s imagination during the 18th and 19th century as well as in many films and books. However, what went on in an Ottoman Harem was more than just sex, it was a complex place where strict a hierarchy was adhered to and where plotting for power and influence was sometimes necessary to survive.

1. Residents of the Harem

All Ottoman palaces had a harem and Topkapi Palace in Constantinople, modern day Istanbul, was the main residence of Ottoman Sultans from 1465 to 1856. The Sultan’s Imperial Harem occupied one of the sections of his private apartment and traditionally, apart from the eunuchs, men who did not belong to the family were strictly forbidden from entering the harem.

This institution constituted the private and prohibited space of the Ottoman dynasty and played an important social function within the Ottoman court and demonstrated considerable political authority in Ottoman affairs. It was home to the Sultan’s mother (Valide Sultan), the concubines and wives of the Sultan, the rest of his family including sisters, brothers, children, their servants as well as the Black Eunuchs who were the protectors of the harem. The size of Topkapi Harem is a testament to the fact that they required a large number of women attendants to serve the residents and a corps of eunuchs to oversee it.



2. The Sultan

The harem is very symbolic of an Ottoman Sultan and the number of concubines he kept in his harem was a sign of his wealth, power and also his sexual appetite. The sultan was also the only person who could freely enter and leave the harem. The introduction of the harem into Ottoman culture began with the adoption of Islam, thus bringing an Arabic tradition together with a religion. This tradition of a sultan’s harem continued until 1923 when the Republic of Turkey was established.

Although the occupants of the harem were predominately slaves, those women who were taken as wives were free women. In addition, each sultan was able to acquire concubines according to his personal taste and preference; Sultan Ibrahim I, who died in 1648, had a passion for women with a full figure and introduced mostly obese women to Harem. He was also known as the “Crazy One” as he once had his entire harem of 280 women thrown into the Bosphorus in weighted sacks. Also, the highest honor that a Sultan could show a guest was to present them an odalisque (lowly harem maid) that he had not slept with. 

Ottoman Harem
3. Women’s hierarchy in the Harem

Within an Ottoman Harem, it was a highly structured society with leadership and subordinate roles for its occupants. The highest position was taken up by Valide Sultan (Sultan’s mother), then came Kadin Efendi (first wife), of which under Islam a man could have a maximum of 4 wives, followed by Kadins (wife of the Sultan). Usually, the position of Kadin Efendi was acquired as a result of being the first woman to bestow on the Sultan a son. The position of the other Kadins usually depended on the order in which they bore the sultan sons.

Due to the patriarchal nature of Ottoman Society women that gave birth to girls were the lowest in the ranking of Kadins, even though they still held a relatively high position in the harem. After the Kadins came the Ikbals, (favorite) who were women the sultan liked for other reasons apart from sex; together they would discuss art, music or politics or possibly the sultan adored her singing talent.

Next in the hierarchy came the Gediks (maids in waiting), who were girls the sultan took a fancy to but did not sleep with and usually became personal servants to the sultan. At the bottom of rung were slave girls, called Odalisques (virgins) who were there to carry out the more menial tasks required in the daily running of the harem.

4. Eunuchs

If you ever thought being a guard in a harem would have been a good job, think again! The most important prerequisite to being an Ottoman harem guard was castration, which was deemed necessary in order to ensure that the Sultan’s wives and concubines were not tampered with sexually by anybody else but them, thereby guaranteeing the lineage of the Sultan.



During Ottoman times there were anywhere between 300 and 900 eunuchs at any one time who were controlled by the Chief White Eunuch. These eunuchs were used to manage the sultan’s inner service involving the bureaucracy of the palace. However, the job of guarding the harem came down to the black eunuchs, some of whom were able to attain relatively high standing in the hierarchy of the state and with it considerable power; the Chief Black Eunuch, generally being considered the 3rd most powerful person, only overshadowed by the Grand Vizier and the Sultan.

These slaves were either captured during a war or were purchased from outside of the empire, usually from the Balkans, Ethiopia, and Sudan. In general, black eunuchs were called Sandali, meaning, clean-shaven, whereby their genitalia was removed completely so they were preferred for working in the harem in close proximity to the concubines. The white eunuchs, however, usually kept part of their penis or testicles and were involved more with secretarial jobs within the harem and palace.

5. Valide Sultan (Sultan’s mother)

Just as the Sultan ruled the empire, Valide Sultan ruled over her domain in the harem. The imperial harem contained thousands of individuals and for a Valide Sultan, who herself used to be a wife or concubine of the Sultan’s father it was like her own mini empire. Like the Sultan she needed assistants while governing, she had ministers, all of whom were female, that formed her cabinet; a chief minister, chief treasurer, secretary of state as well as an enormous staff of overseers and managers to help her to maintain order and to keep the harem running smoothly.

Amongst her other duties, she was also responsible for selecting wives and sexual partners for her son and also training them in how to serve the sultan to the best of their abilities. As the most senior woman she controlled all the concubines in the harem and non-could leave the confines without her explicit permission. Her powers even extended to matters of life and death over the concubines under her control with eunuchs reporting directly to her. Sometimes her power and influence extended beyond the harem as often the Sultans came to the throne at such a young age that their mothers had to run the empire with them.

Scene in an Ottoman Harem
6. Concubines’ countries of origin

As slavery is forbidden in Islam a Sultan could not take a Turk or an Arab Muslim woman as a concubine. For this reason, many harem women were Caucasians, Georgians, and Abkhazians. They were usually bought from slave markets after being kidnapped or else sold by impoverished parents. Many Georgian and Caucasian families encouraged their daughters to become concubines through slavery as the life of these female servants in the harem was deemed far better than living an impoverished life elsewhere in the empire working in the fields.

These beautiful and intelligent girls were captured, bought or recruited in order to perpetuate the Ottoman Dynasty. All slaves that entered the harem were termed odalisques or " women of the court" - general servants in the harem. The girls came to the harem at a tender age and were brought up in the discipline of the court where they could rise depending on their abilities.

7. Role of the Concubine
Traditionally, the main purpose of a sultan’s wives and concubines was to produce a son in order to carry on his lineage. The emphasis was on the patriarchal nature of power that was hereditary only through sons. For this reason, every female slave entering the palace dreamt of being noticed by the Sultan, as the Sultan was the main authority and the deciding factor in the fate of the women in the Harem. Most of the concubines were slaves of Christian origin and were brought up according to the discipline of the palace and were promoted according to their capabilities.

Wives, unlike concubines, had deep-rooted interests in family affairs. This was often perceived as an opportunity for them to be disloyal to their husband. Consequently, concubines were often preferred over them in regards to having children.

From today's perspective, it is hard to imagine but a lot of women wanted to be in the harem because it meant economic safety and security. Even though most concubines within harems had no significant authority or power, the ones that did a good job of pleasing their Sultan advanced through the ranks to make the best possible lives for themselves, considering the circumstances.

8. Sections within the Harem

Although harems are considered a sultan’s in-house brothel in the minds of westerners it was, in fact, an area of the household designated for Muslim women where they can relax in privacy, without being seen by outsiders. Harem stems from the Arabic word meaning “the place of the women”.

The Harem in Topkapi Palace had over 300 rooms, 9 baths, 2 mosques, 1 hospital and 1 laundry. Because the women in the harem came from many different areas of the Ottoman Empire with differing cultures, the apartments of the harem were designed and furnished to help them feel comfortable and satisfied with their position in life. If the women were happy and contented then they would be better prepared and ready should the Sultan take a liking to them.

The Harem consisted of a series of buildings connected via hallways and courtyards. Depending on where the individual was within the hierarchy of the Harem, every concubine, wife, servant or Black Eunuch had their own designated living space clustered around a courtyard. The Sultan’s concubines mainly lived in halls beneath the apartments of the sultan’s wives (Kadins) and the sultan’s mother (Valide Sultan) or in separate chambers within the harem complex.

Topkapi Palace - Istanbul
Topkapi Palace - Harem section
9. Education and training for Concubines

Beautiful and talented female slaves that entered the harem were given an education and training, which would help them in their role as a concubine and possible wife of the sultan. They were tutored in reciting poetry and dancing, taught how to sing and play musical instruments as well educated in the finer points of the art of erotica.

Only the most beautiful, intelligent and gifted girls were considered suitable for the sultan. Many women living in the harem never even got to see him as their life revolved around daily chores as one of the many maids in the harem.

On the whole, women entering a harem were provided with an education roughly on par with that provided to members of the Ottoman political elite, with whom they would be married off to once they had completed their education. Consequently, only a small fraction of the women in the harem actually engaged in a sexual relationship with the sultan.

10. Murder and intrigue
The Ottoman Harem was not just based around sex and luxury but was in fact a power center of the Ottoman Empire. As with all places surrounded by such power, it was a snake pit where intrigue, poisoning, strangling and all manner of dirty tricks were part of life within those walls.

Personal aspirations sparked conspiracies, gossip and murder within the Harem and many of these women, in order to rise up in the hierarchy would also conspire with the princesses who were married mostly to the grand vizier or other high government officials. Those men knew better than to go against their wives' wishes, understanding all too well how dangerous and possibly deadly harem gossip could be. They would even go as far as to bribe servants or eunuchs to murder their rival or their children.

MUSLIM`S HAREM

MUSLIM`S HAREM

அந்தப்புரம் (ஹாரம்)

இதிலும் பல சரித்திரங்கள் புதைந்துள்ளன. சில மன்னர்களின் புத்திசாலித்தனம், போட்டி, வெறியினால் மட்டும் சரித்திரங்கள் மாறவில்லை. குறிப்பாக உலக சரித்திரத்தை பலமுறை இந்த அந்தப்புரங்கள் மாற்றியுள்ளன. முழுக்க முழுக்க ஆணின் எதிர் இனமான பெண்கள் மட்டுமே ஆளுமை செய்த இந்த அந்தப்புரங்கள் சத்தமில்லாமல் சாதித்தவை பல.

பல அற்புதமான மன்னர்கள் (உதாரணத்திற்கு மொகலாய ஔரங்கஸேப், ஓட்டோமான் சுலைமான், சௌதியின் சா ஊத் ஆகியோர்) இங்கு இளமையைக் கழித்திருக்கிறார்கள்.

ஆங்கிலத்தில் ஹரம் என்று அழைக்கப்படும் இந்த இடம் பெண்களின் தூய்மையான இடம் என்று பொருள்படுகிறது. அரபியில் ஹுர்மா என்ற சொல் பன்மை யில் ஹரிம் என்றாகி ஹரம் என்றாகியது. பல மனைவிகளை உள்ளடக்கிய இது முழுக்க ஆண்களின் நடமாட்டத்திலிருந்து பாதுகாக்கப்பட்டது.

ஹரம் என்ற சொல் கிழக்கு நாடுகளிலிருந்து தான் பழக்கத்திற்கு வந்தது. இங்கு பெண்ணுறவு அடிமைகள், வைப்பாட்டிகள், அரவாணிகள், ஆங்கிலத்தில் கில்மேன் (GHILMAN) என்று சொல்லப்படும் வெள்ளைநிற இளம் சிறுவர்கள் (இது திருக்குரானில் இறைவன் சொர்க்கத்தில் இருப்பார்கள் என்று சொல்லப்பட்டிருப்பதால் சொர்க்கத்தை நினைவு படுத்திக்கொள்ள) ஆகியோர்களும் இருப்பார்கள்.

கிரேக்க, ரோம காலங்களில் இந்த அந்தப்புரங்கள் சொல்லும் தரத்தில் இல்லை. இஸ் லாமியர்கள் ஆட்சியில் ஓரளவு பரவாயில்லை. ஓட்டோமான்களின் காலத்தில் இங்கிருந்த பெண்கள் (மனைவிகள் அல்ல) கல்வியறிவு பெற்று சில பொது நிகழ்ச்சிகளில் கலந்து கொண்டார்கள். இஸ்லாத்தில் ஆண்களின் முன் பெண்கள் நடமாடமாட்டார்கள், அதனால் உலகளாவிய இஸ்லாமிய ஆட்சியாளர்கள் அனைவரின் அந்தப்புரத்திலும் அரவாணிகள் பணிக்கு அதிகமாக வைக்கப்பட்டார்கள். இதை சில மாற்றுமதத்தினர் கொச்சைபடுத்தினார்கள்.

அந்தப்புரம் என்ற சொல்லே உணர்ச்சியைத் தொடக்காரணம் இது மன்னர்களின் ஓய்வு நேரத்தில் கேளிக்கைகளுக்காக பயன்பட்டது தான். ஓட்டோ மான்களின் ஆட்சியில் செராக்லியோ என்று அழைக்கப்பட்ட அந்தப்புரத்தில் பல பெண்களுடன் மனைவி, தாயார், மகள்கள், அரவாணிகள், பெண் அடிமைகள் என்று பெரும் பெண்கள் கூட்டமே இருக்கும். சில காலகட்டத்தில் 16 வயது வரை சுல்தான்களின் மகன்களும் அந்தப்புரத்தில் வளர்ந்தார்கள்.

ஓட்டோ மான்களின் டாப்காபி அரண்மனையின் அந்தப்புர வளாகத்தின் உள்ளேயே சுல்தான்களின் குடும்பத் திற்கென தனி தங்குமிடம் உண்டு. இந்த மாதிரியான ஓட்டோமான்களின் அந்தப்புரங்களி லிருந்து தான் புகழ் பெற்ற ஹூர்ரும் சுல்தான் (சுலைமானின் மனைவியும், இரண்டாம் செலிமின் தாயாருமானவர்) மற்றும் கூசெம் சுல்தான் (நான்காம் முராத்), இந்தியாவின் ரஸியா சுல்தான் போன்ற புகழ் பெற்ற பெண்மணிகள் பின்ணனியில் இருந்து நாடாண்டார்கள்.

ஓட்டோமானின் அந்தப்புரத்தை ராணி வலீதே சுல்தான் நிர்வகித்தார். அந்தப்புர பாதுகாப்பை கிஸ்லர் அகா என்ற கருப்பின அரவாணி தலைமையாய் இருந்து பார்த்துக் கொண்டார். டாப் காபி என்னும் அரண்மனை அந்தப்புரத்தில் 400 அறைகள் இருந்தன. போர்களில் குறிப்பாக ஐரோப்பிய பால்கன் பகுதிகளில் பிடிக்கப்படும் அழகான அடிமைப் பெண்கள் இங்கு கொண்டு வரப்படுவார்கள்.

சுல்தானுடன் படுக்கையைப் பகிர்ந்து கொள்ளும் வைப்பாட்டிகள் தகுதிக் கேற்ப கூஸ்தி (GOOZDE- பிரியமானவள்), இக்பல் (IKBAL- அதிர்ஷ்டமானவள்), காதின் (KADIN-மனைவி) என்ற பட்டத்துடன் அழைக்கப்படுவார்கள். அதிகபட்ச அந்தப்புர அந்தஸ்து வலீதே சுல்தான் (சுல்தானுக்காக ஆட்சியின் பின்ணனியில் செயல்படுபவர்) ஆகும். வலீதே ராணியின் அனுமதி இல்லாமல் யாரும் அந்தப்பு ரத்திற்குள் நுழையவோ, வெளியேரவோ முடியாது. இந்த வைப்பாட்டிகளின் நடவடிக்கைகளை ராணியார் அரவாணிகள் மூலம் தெரிந்து கொள்வார்.

இந்த வைப்பாட்டிகளின் வாழ்வும் சாவும் ராணி யாரின் கையில் தான் உள்ளது. நான்கு காதின்கள் வரை தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப்பட்டு வரிசையாக முறையே ராணிக்கு அடுத்த நிலையில் இருப்பார்கள். 1868 ல் சுல்தான் அப்துல் அஜீஸ், தன் தாயார் பெர்டெய்னி யல் சுல்தானை அறிமுகப்படுத்த, ஃப்ரான்சின் பேரரசி ஈஜீனியாவை அந்தப்புரத்திற்கு அழைத்துச் சென் றார்.

பெண்ணாயினும் மற்றவர்கள் பிரவேசிப்பதை விரும்பாத வலிதே சுல்தான் அவரை கன்னத்தில் அறைந்தார். மேலும் பேரரசியின் உடையலங்காரம் மேற்கத்திய கலாச்சாரத்தில் அங்கம் தெரிவதாக இருந்தது. இது அக்காலத்தில் பெரும் சர்வதேச பிரச்சினை ஆகியது. ஒரு இஸ்லாமிய அந்தப்புரம் எப்படி இருந்தது என்பதற்கு இச் சம்பவம் பெரும் உதாரணம்.

16 ம் நூற்றாண்டில் மூன்றாம் மெஹ் மூதின் தாயாரும், அந்தப்புர ராணியுமாய் வலீதே சுல்தானாக இருந்த சஃபீயே தர்பாரில் மெஹ்மூதுக் கும், ஒரு இஸ்லாமிய முஃப்திக்கும் இடையேயான வாக்குவாதத்தை திரையின் மறைவிலிருந்து மெஹ்மூதுக்கு அறிவுரை வழங்கினார்.

அந்தப்புரத்திற்காக கருப்பு அரவாணிகள் போரிலிருந்து சிறைப் பிடித்தும் அல்லது பால்கன், காகசஸ், அபிசீனியா மற்றும் சூடான் பகுதிகளிலிருந்து விலைக்கு வாங்க பட்டார்கள். இவர்கள் கீழுறுப்பு நீக்கப்பட்டு, எந்நேரமும் சிரைக்கப்பட்டு தூய்மையாக இருக்க வேண் டும்.

வைப்பாட்டிகளின் சேவையின் போது ஒழுக்கமுடன் நடந்து கொள்ள வேண்டும். வெள்ளை நிற அரவாணிகளும் இருந்தார்கள். இவர்கள் ஆணுறுப்புடன் இருக்க அனுமதிக்கப்பட்டார்கள். இவர்களை ஓட்டோமான் அந்தப்புரத்தில் அலுவலகப் பணிக்குப் பயன்படுத்தினார்கள். இவர்களில் 600 பேர் வரை மாகாண கவர்னர்களால் சுல்தானுக்கு அன்பளிப்பாக அனுப்பப்பட்டவர்கள்.

சுல்தான் மூன்றாம் அஹ்மது காலத்தில் ஆட்சிக்கு வருவதற்கான பயிற்சியை இளவரசர்களுக்கு வழங்க தனியாக ‘தங்கக் கூண்டு’ (GOLDEN CAGE) என்ற பகுதியைத் துவக்கினார். இங்கு இளம் சுல்தான்களுக்கு அனைத்து வகை பயிற்சிகளும் கொடுக்கப்பட்டன.

1640 லிருந்து 1648 வரை ஆண்ட ஓட்டோமான் சுல்தான் இப்ராஹீம் (IBRAHIM THE MAD) என்பவர் தன் அந்தப்புரத்திலிருந்த 280 வைப்பாட்டிகளை பாஸ்போரஸ் நதியில் வீசிக் கொன்றார். இப்ராஹீமின் ஒரு வைப்பாட்டி தான் புகழ் பெற்ற துர்ஹன் ஹதிஸ்,

உக்ரைன் பெண்ணான இவர் டடார்களின் படையெடுப்பின் போது பிடிக்கப்பட்டு, அடிமையாக விற்கப்பட்டார். புராதன எகிப்திய பாறோ மன்னர்கள் தங்கள் பிராந்தியங்களில் அழகிய பெண்களையே கவர்னர்களாக நியமித்தனர்.

ஸ்ரீலங்காவின் சிகிரியா மன்னன் கஸ்யபா ‘ஒரோதா’ என்ற தன் அந்தப்புரத்தில் 500 பெண்களை வைத் திருந்தான்.

மெக்சிகோவின் அஸ்டெக் ஆட்சியாளர் இரண்டாம் மொண்டெஸுமா 4,000 வைப்பாட்டி களை அந்தப்புரத்தில் வைத்திருந்தான். இவன் சந்ததியினரும் இந்த விஷயத்தில் அதேபோல் தான் இருந்தார்கள்.

1421 ல் சீனாவின் யோங்கிள் பேரரசர் 2,800 வைப்பாட்டிகள், பணிப்பெண்களை சிறுகச் சிறுக சாகடித்தார். ஆப்பிரிக்க மன்னர்களின் அந்தப்புரங்களும் சொல்லும் தரத்திலில்லை.

ஆறாம் நூற்றாண்டில் வாழ்ந்த பனாரஸ் மன்னன் தம்பா தான் அதிகபட்சமாக 16,000 பெண்களை அந்தப்புரத்தில் வைத்திருந்தான். ஆனால் உறுதி இல்லாத சொல்லாக சுல்தான் 15 ம் நூற்றாண்டின் சுல்தான் கியாசுத்தீன் கில்ஜி 15,000 பெண்களை அந்தப்புரத்தில் வைத்திரு ந்ததாக சொல்லப்படுகிறது.

இதற்காகவே பெரிய பட்டணம் போல் அந்தப்புரத்தை சுற்றி சுவர் எழுப்பி இருந்தாராம்.

1800 ல் சியாமின் மோங்குட் ராஜா 9,000 பெண்களையும், 13 ம் நூற்றாண்டின் மங்கோலிய மன்னன் குப்ளாய் கான் 7000 பெண்களையும் வைத்திருந்தாராம்.

ஒவ்வொரு இரண்டாண்டுக்குப் பிறகு, நூற்றுக்கணக்கான வைப்பாட்டிகளை மாற்றி புதிதாய் வரவழைப்பாராம்.

17 ம் நூற்றாண்டில் ஜஹாங் கீர் 6,300 பெண்களை அந்தப்புரத்தில் வைத்திருந்தாராம்.

அந்தப்புரம்கூ.செ.செய்யது முஹமது

MUGHAL HAREM

A chance reference in a book by 17th century Italian traveller and writer that many women in the Mughal harem faked illness so that they could have an opportunity to meet and converse and perhaps dally with a male other than the husband or master kindled my curiosity. What exactly was a harem and what happened inside it!

Voyeurism is nothing new and there has been a great deal of inquisitiveness as to the goings on in the royal harems but most could only fantasise in privacy. While the court historians like Abul Fazl could only talk of the formal structure of the harem no such problem existed for the Europeans who let their speculative and erotic instincts run rampant about a section of the palace, which was totally inaccessible to them.

mughals-body_122116124219.jpg
A 17th century Mughal painting. (Credit: Wikipedia)
We have got most of our accounts of the private lives of the Mughal women from them and rarely realise that they not only didn’t have first hand information, they were limited by their lack of knowledge of local customs and language. Their reliance was on bazaar gossip and as a result we have perfectly scandalous descriptions of the goings on inside.

We have Bernier, who relying on bazaar gossip, had gone to the extent of hinting at incest between Jahanara and her father. In reality Bernier was on the side of Aurangzeb in the war of succession and since both sides (Aurangzeb and Dara Shukoh) were leveling charges at each other. Manucci, being a confidante of Dara Shukoh was one of the very few European to have actual access to the Mughal harem soundly repudiated this and said it was ‘founded entirely on the talk of low people.’

The word harem comes from the Arabic word haram, which literally means sacred or forbidden and is used for sacred precincts of Mecca. In Persian it means sanctuary and in Sanskrit harmya means palace.

But in its harem avatar, the word describes the seraglio or the part of the palace reserved for the ladies but it became synonymous for a place of where men lucky and rich enough to afford it, could get sexual access to many females.

This led to pious posturing by European men who were I’m sure a tad bit envious too. Niccalao Manucci wrote that the Muslims were “very fond of women, who are their principal relaxation and almost their only pleasure.”

This overlooks the exigencies of a king’s life which involved a great deal of campaigning and preparation for battle. Shikar or hunting was a regular feature during non-war times as it kept them mentally and physically alert.

There were various estimates of the women inside a harem with Thomas Roe saying there were thousand women in the Mughal harem to Sir Thomas Coryate writing that emperor Jahangir “keepeth a thousand women for his own body.”

The reality, however, was far more mundane and a mere 5 per cent were for sexual pleasure of the kings. The bulk of the women comprising the female employees needed for smooth functioning of the harem and the female relatives of the emperor. Eunuchs were employed inside the harem for guarding it and ensuring discipline. Since it was important to know at all times what was happening in order to prevent rebellion and overturning, spies were employed everywhere and the espionage in the women quarters was carried on by eunuchs and serving maids.

It was like a well run, well organised department of the Mughal administration and we get an account of its administration and regulations from Abul Fazl while Jahangir, who due to ill health spent a large part of his later years in the harem describes it in his memoirs. The tenor of his memoirs, Tuzuk e Jahangiri, is extremely frank and he provides a lot of information of life inside the harem.

There is some mention during the reign of Shah Jahan and even though under Aurangzeb, there was a strict observance of purdah we get a detailed account of his romance with Zainabadi.

Under the later Mughals we get more details and can see the degeneration of the harem.

Ladies of the harem

A special position was accorded to the emperor’s mother and chief wife with more importance given to the former. Even foster mothers were given a position of importance. The rulers also gave sisters preferential treatment.

When Hamida Banu Begum was travelling from Agra to Lahore, Akbar took his mother’s palanquin on his own shoulders when crossing a river.

There would be a Padshah Begum, which was normally the chief wife, except in case of Jahanara, who got the title on her mother’s demise and held it even in Aurangzeb’s rule.

The large size of the harem was dictated by a number of factors such as marriage and war. A large number of women servants came as part of the dower when the king married the daughter of a local ruler. The entourage of the Rajput wives especially consisted of a large number of singing and dancing girls. Many prisoners of war entered the harem. Slaves were also bought as concubines.

The women did not stay in perpetuity inside the harem and many retired after death of each successive emperor.

Harem employees

As for any other huge organisation, the harem too needed rules and regulations for smooth functioning. Akbar was the first emperor to lay down rules for it and turn it into an institution. The harem was called mahal and the chief officer of the harem was called Nazir e Mahal (in-charge of women quarters) and normally a khwaja sara or eunuch. All the harem officers would be women or eunuchs. Ladies from very respectable and noble families would be given the post of daroghas (supervising officers). Nur Jahan’s mother Asmat begum was a Darogha so one can imagine the prestige involved.

The khwaja sara or eunuch enjoyed a very unique position. He was in charge of the King’s safety inside the harem since royal bodyguards were not allowed inside.The khwajasaras would form a ring around the Emperor whenever he was in the harem. Under the Later Mughals the Khwajasaras controlled the harem.

The khan e saman (lord of stores) looked after the smooth functioning of the royal household. This very important position degenerated to that of a cook — khansamah — under the British, who according to Prof R Nath tried to degrade, denigrate, denounce and defame the Mughal legacy.

Strong built Tartar, Turki and Kashmiri women were employed on guard duties. That they didn’t understand the local language was a plus point.

All the employees in the harem had fixed salaries, whatever their position with the darogahs receiving as much as Rs 1,000 a month to maids getting Rs 2 per month. The royal ladies had properties settled in their names from which they got a regular income. Many were proficient business women.

Estimates for expenditure were drawn up in advance and it functioned like any other royal department with accounts being kept by writers or nawis.

Tahwildars or cash keepers attended to the financial needs of the women who could, as per their sanctioned allowance, apply for cash to them.

Architecture of the harem

William Finch a 16th century traveller describes the palace or mahal and the position of the king’s chamber as “within the second court is the mahal, . . . between each corner and this middle, most are two fair large chambers for his women (so that each mahal receives sixteen) in separate lodgings, without doors to any of them, all keeping open house to the king’s pleasure. . . . in the midst of all the court stands the king’s chamber, where he, like a cock of the game, may crow over all".

The harem complex was enclosed within high walls, keeping observance of purdah in mind and consisted of some of the best buildings. It consisted of a series of annexes designed in such a way that they were airy and comfortable with a central courtyard for joint festivities. There would be fountains, ponds, gardens and orchards for the women, many of whom would spend their whole lives in that complex. All the apartments were interconnected. There was only one strictly guarded entrance door to the harem.

Though when we visit a Mughal fort today we see only hammams for bathing and are left wondering how the women relieved themselves, each annexe had its own toilet system. These would be in the form of a row of toilets on one side of the annexe with underground tunnels for the female scavengers.

Each queen and important concubine had her own set of apartments where she maintained her own household and competed to entertain the king.

The rest of the women lived in dormitories and the verandahs.

There was a complex underground system of well-ventilated chambers and passages, whichopened into the apartments and were used for keeping an eye and controlling the harem. Apart from this were the tehkhanas or basements used during summers.

There was even an underground cell with a gallows erected in it or Phansighar, which was used for executing offenders. According to Prof R Nath this was connected to a deep well and the body was dropped into it without anyone being the wiser. Since many of the offenders would be punished for crimes of passion I suppose secrecy was paramount.

Education

The Mughal women were very well educated not just in the religious texts but arts, sciences and warfare.

Monserrate writes that Akbar was very interested in women’s education and gave good care and attention to the education of the princesses. “They were taught to read and write and trained in other ways by the matrons.” There were libraries inside the harem for their use and many of them were skilled writers and poets.

Visit of physicians

Manucci writes, “it is the custom in the royal household, when a physician is called within the mahal, for the eunuch to cover his head with a cloth, which hangs down to his waist. They then conduct him to the patient’s room, and he is taken out in the same manner".

The emperor was the only adult male who entered the harem freely. Royal princes who attained puberty had to live outside and were barred entry. The only men who could come in were physicians and that too they came in heavily veiled and covered. The hakeems and later the European physicians would diagnose by feeling the pulse.

It was also an occasion for some dalliance according to Manucci as he writes that when the physician stretched his hand inside the curtain where the woman lay, she would “lay hold of it, kiss it, and softly bite it. Some, out of curiosity, apply it to their breast, which has happened to me several times; but I pretended not to notice, in order to conceal what was passing from the matrons and eunuchs then present, and not arouse their suspicions".

Another way of diagnosis according to English traveller John Marshall without seeing the patient’s face or feeling her pulse was that a handkerchief was rubbed all over the body of the patient and then put into a jar of water. By its smell the doctor judged the cause of illness and prescribed the medicine.

Portraits of queens and princesses

One of the most popular account of history is said to be via paintings. However, when we see portraits of Mughal ladies we must remember the strict purdah and protocol they lived in and realise that it is highly improbable that any of the ladies sat for it themselves. That is why we see a very stylised version of all the women with high bridged nose and slanting eyes. Manucci clarifies this by writing, “I do not being forward any portraits of queens or princesses, for it is impossible to see them. Thanks to their, being always concealed. If any one has produced such portraits, these should not be accepted, being only likeness of concubines and dancing girls, which they have been drawn according to the artist fancy.”

Entertainment

It was left to the women to entertain themselves in whichever manner they thought fit as long as it was within the four walls of the harem. Some were illicit or stolen moments and the emperor sanctioned some.

Once a month they would participate in a khushroz or Meena bazaar, which was a kind of fair where the ladies would put up stalls and the emperor would attend.

Women would participate in garden parties and go out for outings and hunts with the emperor. Of course the outings were only for a chosen few and were always in strict purdah. Women accompanied the ruler on campaigns along with their retinue and stayed in tents.

There was another kind of entertainment, which was arranged daily for the emperor and that were the singing and dancing. Elaborate soirees would be arranged by the lady whom the Emperor was visiting that night. Some of the concubines were skilled singers and dancers themselves and may have performed for their patron. However, these were for the pleasure of the man and not the women.

The harems of the princes and nobles would be more or less organised on the same lines as per their financial ability and status.

Also read: What happened to the Mughals after the fall of the Mughal Empire?