The traditional harem, a place where anything between 1 and 4 wives lived, sometimes with other female relatives, was a place where even visitors might not enter. The only ones who could, were husband, sons, brothers and fathers.

The royal harem, from which the popular image of the harem is formed, has its origin in ancient times. In this harem, both wives and concubines lived, together with female attendants and eunuch guards. While the harem was secluded from the normal society, it still was of great political importance. Rulers often added wives to their harems, as part of forging political alliances with foreign political leaders. And inside the harem, mothers of possible future leaders fought over who should become heir to the throne.

The women of the harem came from all over Asia, Africa, and sometimes Europe. Royal motherhood provided great power and wealth as well as insecurity and the constant fear assassination of either the mother or the son. If the son became sultan, his mother was elevated to the position of valide sultana. She ran the harem and was the most powerful woman in the empire. Life in the harem was one of luxury and ease. However, "Many of the women in the harem died young. There are endless stories of brutal murders and poisoning." The average age in the harem was only seventeen. The most common vocation practiced by the women was poetry.

The color and design of clothing designated the rank of a woman. Clothing was elaborate and beautiful, often made of satins, colored cloths, velvets and silks adorned with gold and silver brocades as well as jewels. The sultan never saw a woman wearing the same dress more than once. On the rare occasions that the women went outside the harem. they wore drab tunics from shoulders to feet concealing everything and, of course, including a veil.

There were beautiful gardens and pools to relax in. Of course, always guarded by the eunuchs. The Seraglio harem had the "Elephant House" filled with lions, tigers, leopards, elephants, birds, monkeys, and many other animals. The women developed secret codes to communicate. For example, a flower bouquet could actually be a message from an illicit lover, each flower part of the secret code. The color of handkerchiefs also relayed messages.

Opium was used both in rituals and for everyday use. Many ate the opium, rather than smoke it, because the effect lasted longer. The most luxurious pastime was the bath. The sultan, his mother, and wives had private baths at the Seraglio while the other women shared a bathhouse. It was a time to talk and eat and relax. There were also public baths for the women of smaller harems. "For some, the pilgrimage afforded sufficient freedom to arrange clandestine meetings. For all, the public baths were a center for gossip and a wellspring of invented scandal. They were the women's private clubs." Women spent hours being steamed, scrubbed, massaged, scraped, and pumiced.

It was a sin to have hair on one's private parts. Hair was removed from the legs, underarms, genitals, and even the nostrils and ears. According to Croutier, "While washing and massaging one another, while scrutinizing closely for the first signs of emerging hair, the women often became lovers as well as friends." Food was an amazing ritual too. The Seraglio had twenty kitchens and 150 cooks. They ate lots of confections and sherbets. The sherbet production is fascinating. It required snow from ice pits on Mount Olympus that was wrapped in flannel and brought 70 miles to the Seraglio on mules. There were feasts of rich foods and deserts.

The sultan was not required to marry the odalisques, they were his property. A sultan's concubines were considered his wives and he usually had four to eight. Croutier states that "It is a common fantasy to imagine sultans actually having sexual relations with hundred of women in heir harem. In some cases, this might have been true." But, several sultans had only one wife. "Most sultans spent nights with different ... women in turn, and to prevent disputes among them, they kept a schedule." "A sultan's failure to favor each wife with equal enthusism stirred up a great deal of anxiety, insecurity -- and malevolence." This often lead to death or other violence. "There were alliances, cliques, and a perpetual silent war."

Eunuchs, castrated males, have been in existence since the ninth century B.C. and could be found from Persia to China. They have been slaves and priests. The Catholic Church even castrated boys to preserve their soprano voices for the papal choir until 1878. The eunuchs in Turkey were not Turkish because Islam forbid castration. (smart!) They got white eunuchs from conquered Christian areas and black eunuchs from Egypt, Abyssinia, and the Sudan. Many boys died from the castration. The desert sand was considered to help healing. Often newly castrated boys were buried up to their necks in the sand until they healed. They brought enormous profit to traders. Some castrations included removal of both the penis and testicles, some removed only the testicles, others crushed and permanently damaged them. If you want to know more, read the book. The result is lack of body hair, falsetto voice, flabbiness, and obesity.