Mother of Sultan's Chamber

This was the chamber of the sultan’s mother.

In the Ottoman palace, the sultan’s mother was called the Valide Sultan. This means “Mother Sultan.” She was one of the most important women in the palace.

This apartment, in its present form, was built by Sultan Murad the Third for his mother, Nurbanu Sultan. After that, it was used by the mothers of sultans until the middle of the 19th century.

In the 18th century, a wooden room in rococo style was added for Mihrişah Sultan. She was the mother of Sultan Selim the Third. Rococo was a light and elegant style, with soft shapes and rich decoration.

There was also a small room that led to a mezzanine. A mezzanine is a small upper floor. Here, it was like a symbolic throne. The room was decorated with flower-patterned tiles.

The Mother of Sultans also had a prayer room. One tile on the wall shows the Kaaba. The Kaaba is the holy building in Mecca, very sacred for Muslims.

This chamber helps us understand the role of the sultan’s mother. These women could be very powerful. Sometimes a sultan came to the throne when he was still very young. In those times, his mother could have great power in palace affairs.

But life in the harem was not always peaceful. The harem was the private family part of the palace. There were struggles for power there. Some of these struggles led to sad events, such as the murder of Kösem Sultan.