General Information about Harem

The word “harem” means a place that is forbidden, or kept safe.

In Topkapı Palace, the harem was the private home of the sultan and his family. It was also a school. People learned palace life there. They learned how to serve, how to speak, and how to live close to the ruling family.

The harem was very large. It had around 300 rooms. It also had baths, two mosques, and a hospital for women.

The first harem buildings were made under Mehmed the Conqueror. In Turkish, he is called Fatih Sultan Mehmed.

The harem was completed in the 16th century, during the rule of Sultan Süleyman the Lawgiver. His love for Hürrem Sultan, also known as Roxelana, was very important in this story. Hürrem Sultan was one of the few palace women who officially married a sultan.

Later, the harem grew again in the 16th century. This happened during the rule of Sultan Murad the Third. His mother was Nurbanu Sultan. After this time, each new sultan built his own room. In this way, the palace slowly took its final shape.

Life in the harem had clear parts.

One part was for the eunuchs. Eunuchs were men who served and guarded the harem. Hundreds of them lived there. Their head was the chief eunuch, called Darüssaade Ağa. He was responsible for the safety of the harem.

Another part was for the concubines. These were girls brought to the palace at a young age. They were trained there. The most beautiful and most talented ones received special lessons. Some could be chosen for the sultan. Some could become mothers of crown princes. A crown prince was a son who could become sultan one day.

Other girls were raised to marry important men from Enderun. Enderun was the inner palace school. Some women also worked in the running of the harem.

The third part belonged to the mother of the ruling sultan. She was the most powerful woman in the harem.

The fourth part was for the sultan himself. It had rooms, small palace pavilions, and baths used by the sultan.