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The Concubine, The Princess, and The Teacher: Voices from the Ottoman Harem
In the Western imagination, the Middle Eastern harem was a place of sex, debauchery, slavery, miscegenation, power, riches, and sheer abandon. But for the women and children who actually inhabited this realm of the imperial palace, the reality was vastly different. In this collection of translated memoirs, three women who lived in the Ottoman imperial harem in Istanbul between 1876 and 1924 offer a fascinating glimpse "behind the veil" into the lives of Muslim palace women of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The memoirists are Filizten, concubine to Sultan Murad V; Princess Ayse, daughter of Sultan Abdulhamid II; and Safiye, a schoolteacher who instructed the grandchildren and harem ladies of Sultan Mehmed V. Their recollections of the Ottoman harem reveal the rigid protocol and hierarchy that governed the lives of the imperial family and concubines, as well as the hundreds of slave women and black eunuchs in service to them. The memoirists show that, far from being a place of debauchery, the harem was a family home in which polite and refined behavior prevailed. Douglas Brookes explains the social structure of the nineteenth-century Ottoman palace harem in his introduction. These three memoirs, written across a half century and by women of differing social classes, offer a fuller and richer portrait of the Ottoman imperial harem than has ever before been available in English.
314 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 24, 2013
There is nothing as authentic or enticing as reading the first hand accounts of imperial women who lived in the harem of the Ottoman Empire. So much of what women were like at that time is gleaned from memoirs written by European women and men, as the Ottomans were noteworthy in their recordkeeping, but neglected to record and chronicle the lives of their women and harem. Thus, it is truly refreshing and enlightening to hear the voices of the women themselves.
Author Douglas Scott Brookes has compiled the personal memoirs of three significant women who lived in the palace harem of the ruling Sultan during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. These women include the Concubine Filizten, who served during the brief reign of Murad V (he only reigned 3 months!), the Princess Ayse, daughter of Sultan Abdulhamid II, who ruled after Murad V, and the schoolteacher Safiye, who instructed the grandchildren and harem ladies of Sultan Mehmed V. Most compelling are the words of the Concubine Filizten who, along with deposed Sultan Murad V and his harem, was sequestered in Ciragan Palace for 28 years. Brookes has done a stellar job translating and compiling these memoirs.
The voices of these women show a picture very different from how Westerns view the harem life. These women were virtuous, devout, and serious about following the rules of their hierarchy. There was also much warmth and devotion among them, and an admirable feeling of respect and loyalty to the ruling Sultan. It is the first time I have read something by a non-Turkish author that sounds and feels like it was written by a native speaker and resident of Turkey. With all of their captivating details and intimate revelatory expressions, the reader is truly pulled into their world.
Author Douglas Scott Brookes has compiled the personal memoirs of three significant women who lived in the palace harem of the ruling Sultan during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. These women include the Concubine Filizten, who served during the brief reign of Murad V (he only reigned 3 months!), the Princess Ayse, daughter of Sultan Abdulhamid II, who ruled after Murad V, and the schoolteacher Safiye, who instructed the grandchildren and harem ladies of Sultan Mehmed V. Most compelling are the words of the Concubine Filizten who, along with deposed Sultan Murad V and his harem, was sequestered in Ciragan Palace for 28 years. Brookes has done a stellar job translating and compiling these memoirs.
The voices of these women show a picture very different from how Westerns view the harem life. These women were virtuous, devout, and serious about following the rules of their hierarchy. There was also much warmth and devotion among them, and an admirable feeling of respect and loyalty to the ruling Sultan. It is the first time I have read something by a non-Turkish author that sounds and feels like it was written by a native speaker and resident of Turkey. With all of their captivating details and intimate revelatory expressions, the reader is truly pulled into their world.
January 7, 2018
I really liked this book, I learned a great deal from it and I wish there were more memories of ladies who lived in the Ottoman Harem.
June 24, 2015
In Edward Said's monumental and controversial work Orientalism his overriding thesis was that, since the European Enlightenment and the colonization of the Arab/Middle East, Western perceptions of the Middle East (its customs, society, traditions and people) had characterised the East as the exotic, dangerous Other to the West. To Said, Western society looked upon the East and all its otherworldly strangeness as backward, uncivilised, sexually aggressive and as the complete antithesis to Western culture and values; the East for all aspects was inferior to the West. Orientalism emphasised and exaggerated Eastern differences and customs, highlighting the vast gulf between East and West in culture, values and moral beliefs.
And where is this more evident then in attitudes and beliefs towards the institution of the Harem? That secretive and decadent palace where beautiful women were enslaved in droves and kept in indolence and boredom to please their masterly sheik or Sultan? Is the harem not considered a heaven of sex, slavery, treachery and luxury?
Fortunately, despite the lurid imaginings of certain French painters and Victorian authors, the harem was not the Western equivalent of an upper class brothel. Nothing could be further from the truth. It was by all accounts a respected and orderly institution where female members of the family along with children lived, worked and rested; protected from the outside world and its negative influences. What really ruled in the harem was etiquette, status, rank, order and a rigid hierarchy of power and protocol. It was a refined and affluent society unto itself.
In the Concubine, the Princess and the Teacher we see the harem first hand through the eyes of those women who actually lived and worked within its hallowed walls. Due to in no small measure to the secretive and reclusive nature of the imperial harem, these memoirs are incredibly valuable primary sources of harem life, hierarchy, daily life and proper etiquette and could only have been published after the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1924. These three memoirs are the only ones of the their kind.
Written by Filizten (the Concubine), Ayşe Sultan (the Princess) and Safiye Ünüvar (the Teacher), these memoirs paint a picture of the harem that is rarely seen and rarely still acknowledged outside of dry historical texts. No where in any of these memoirs do we see the traditional Western portrayal of the Ottoman Harem, a den of sexual slavery and sheer abandon. Instead the harem emerges from the mist a institute where decorum, manners and religious order ruled over its inhabitants and where unseemly behaviour and actions were firmly disapproved of and discouraged. To these women the harem was very much a family home and not the place of debauchery so often imagined.
This book is written for those interested in the harem and in Middle Eastern Studies. In the introduction, the editor sets out to explain and define Ottoman society, the lives of the Imperial family, who was who in the imperial service, and why the harem garnered such an enduring stranglehold on Western society. The reader is never overwhelmed with too much information and unknown words as their is a helpful and detailed glossary of names and terms in the back of the book for reference. This is a well-written and informative book about life and manners in the harem, with beautiful pictures of important imperial family members strewn throughout the book. Thoughtful footnotes are located in the memoirs to aid in understanding and clarification. Those who are new to the Ottoman harem may wish to do some research before hand to avoid confusion.
And where is this more evident then in attitudes and beliefs towards the institution of the Harem? That secretive and decadent palace where beautiful women were enslaved in droves and kept in indolence and boredom to please their masterly sheik or Sultan? Is the harem not considered a heaven of sex, slavery, treachery and luxury?
Fortunately, despite the lurid imaginings of certain French painters and Victorian authors, the harem was not the Western equivalent of an upper class brothel. Nothing could be further from the truth. It was by all accounts a respected and orderly institution where female members of the family along with children lived, worked and rested; protected from the outside world and its negative influences. What really ruled in the harem was etiquette, status, rank, order and a rigid hierarchy of power and protocol. It was a refined and affluent society unto itself.
In the Concubine, the Princess and the Teacher we see the harem first hand through the eyes of those women who actually lived and worked within its hallowed walls. Due to in no small measure to the secretive and reclusive nature of the imperial harem, these memoirs are incredibly valuable primary sources of harem life, hierarchy, daily life and proper etiquette and could only have been published after the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1924. These three memoirs are the only ones of the their kind.
Written by Filizten (the Concubine), Ayşe Sultan (the Princess) and Safiye Ünüvar (the Teacher), these memoirs paint a picture of the harem that is rarely seen and rarely still acknowledged outside of dry historical texts. No where in any of these memoirs do we see the traditional Western portrayal of the Ottoman Harem, a den of sexual slavery and sheer abandon. Instead the harem emerges from the mist a institute where decorum, manners and religious order ruled over its inhabitants and where unseemly behaviour and actions were firmly disapproved of and discouraged. To these women the harem was very much a family home and not the place of debauchery so often imagined.
This book is written for those interested in the harem and in Middle Eastern Studies. In the introduction, the editor sets out to explain and define Ottoman society, the lives of the Imperial family, who was who in the imperial service, and why the harem garnered such an enduring stranglehold on Western society. The reader is never overwhelmed with too much information and unknown words as their is a helpful and detailed glossary of names and terms in the back of the book for reference. This is a well-written and informative book about life and manners in the harem, with beautiful pictures of important imperial family members strewn throughout the book. Thoughtful footnotes are located in the memoirs to aid in understanding and clarification. Those who are new to the Ottoman harem may wish to do some research before hand to avoid confusion.
April 30, 2025
In olden days if a serving woman or a slave died before being freed, he or she was buried with this Certifi cate of Freedom, called ıtık [manumission], placed atop the breast inside the shroud.
November 20, 2017
Love this historian's writing style... I would definitely read another book of his. But the topic of this one ended up really bothering me. The historian’s writing/editing style is very personable. The words melt away and you feel like you see and know the people being described. The problem is that after a while, I didn’t want to know these people! It didn’t feel like stoggy history. It felt lively like fiction novels.
The topic sounded interesting but ended up being the typical Arab mantra of how wonderful their culture is... despite the fact that women have no official status, even mothers of royalty. And, marriage was rare - men just took the women they wanted. Literally. Multiple wives and concubines were normal and women were treated like expensive cattle. They were usually cared for (as the wives/concubines of an important man) but had no rights on their own or dignity apart from the man they served. The women talked about their spotless virginity - meaning they only slept with their master. Multiple women sleeping with the same man. Not exactly how we westerners would describe virgins. The language play and Muslim “values" sickened me.
Other things I learned - Muslims have a preference for blond hair and blue eyed women. Women of this type were often taken as slaves from conquered lands or given as “gifts” to important men. Muslims use witchcraft and charms as part of their religion. Muslim sultans are suppose to be like gods, but are cry babies who easily become upset and can’t function outside a highly protected environment. They have to be surrounded by brainwashed women, who will treat him with appropriate adoration. No men are allowed inside the harem, because they might challenge the Sultan’s manhood in some way. Like by providing a comparison.
Unlike European monarchies that were united by marriages and somewhat stable families, Arab families are divided due to the unofficial status of women and the multiple children from different women within the “family”. Mothers of royal children had no status (and were often slaves/concubines) but their female children were called “princesses” because they had royal blood. Forced abortions were used to limit heirs to the throne. When a powerful princess wants a child to raise, she could select a pretty child from a wealthy (but less powerful) family and “adopt” her. Pretty girls seemed to be routinely taken from less powerful families for harems, renamed and brainwashed to serve “the master” in a cult-like fashion. The concept of marriage was virtually non-existant, and the concept family (though highly touted) was meaningless. Whoever had the most power was able to fashion the “family” of their desire. This created a horrible society and provided a good view into what our western culture will be like if we allow the institution of marriage to completely break down through divorce and irregular “marriage” arrangements. It also clearly illustrated the damage caused by “harmless” polygamy.
By page 100, the novelty of the era and different culture wore off. The Muslim culture was very difficult to read about, especially as the female diaries were extolling the beauty and wonders of a system that clearly degraded them. It was unpleasant to continue reading.
The topic sounded interesting but ended up being the typical Arab mantra of how wonderful their culture is... despite the fact that women have no official status, even mothers of royalty. And, marriage was rare - men just took the women they wanted. Literally. Multiple wives and concubines were normal and women were treated like expensive cattle. They were usually cared for (as the wives/concubines of an important man) but had no rights on their own or dignity apart from the man they served. The women talked about their spotless virginity - meaning they only slept with their master. Multiple women sleeping with the same man. Not exactly how we westerners would describe virgins. The language play and Muslim “values" sickened me.
Other things I learned - Muslims have a preference for blond hair and blue eyed women. Women of this type were often taken as slaves from conquered lands or given as “gifts” to important men. Muslims use witchcraft and charms as part of their religion. Muslim sultans are suppose to be like gods, but are cry babies who easily become upset and can’t function outside a highly protected environment. They have to be surrounded by brainwashed women, who will treat him with appropriate adoration. No men are allowed inside the harem, because they might challenge the Sultan’s manhood in some way. Like by providing a comparison.
Unlike European monarchies that were united by marriages and somewhat stable families, Arab families are divided due to the unofficial status of women and the multiple children from different women within the “family”. Mothers of royal children had no status (and were often slaves/concubines) but their female children were called “princesses” because they had royal blood. Forced abortions were used to limit heirs to the throne. When a powerful princess wants a child to raise, she could select a pretty child from a wealthy (but less powerful) family and “adopt” her. Pretty girls seemed to be routinely taken from less powerful families for harems, renamed and brainwashed to serve “the master” in a cult-like fashion. The concept of marriage was virtually non-existant, and the concept family (though highly touted) was meaningless. Whoever had the most power was able to fashion the “family” of their desire. This created a horrible society and provided a good view into what our western culture will be like if we allow the institution of marriage to completely break down through divorce and irregular “marriage” arrangements. It also clearly illustrated the damage caused by “harmless” polygamy.
By page 100, the novelty of the era and different culture wore off. The Muslim culture was very difficult to read about, especially as the female diaries were extolling the beauty and wonders of a system that clearly degraded them. It was unpleasant to continue reading.
March 4, 2010
This book has been sitting around my office and I'm not sure what possessed me to read it, other than that I am fascinated by first-person accounts written by people living long ago in exotic places. The book contains the memoirs of three different women who lived under the harem system in the last days of the Ottoman empire (not all that long ago), each of them holding a much different position in their respective harems than the other two, and so each having completely different experiences to relate.
Anyone expecting to read salacious tales of unbridled lust and sexual debauchery will be sorely disappointed, however, as Ottoman harem life turns out to be rather mundane in many regards. A lot of space is devoted to descriptions of the structure and hierarchy of the harem system as well as the countless ceremonies, customs, and manners that were required of harem members. These descriptions bog the book down a bit, but they are still interesting. The real appeal of the memoirs are the moments where the humanity of the authors comes through and they write sincerely of their joys, sorrows, fears, and loves. Being able to relate to and feel something in common with a person who lived in such a different time and in such different circumstances is the real appeal of a book like this.
Anyone expecting to read salacious tales of unbridled lust and sexual debauchery will be sorely disappointed, however, as Ottoman harem life turns out to be rather mundane in many regards. A lot of space is devoted to descriptions of the structure and hierarchy of the harem system as well as the countless ceremonies, customs, and manners that were required of harem members. These descriptions bog the book down a bit, but they are still interesting. The real appeal of the memoirs are the moments where the humanity of the authors comes through and they write sincerely of their joys, sorrows, fears, and loves. Being able to relate to and feel something in common with a person who lived in such a different time and in such different circumstances is the real appeal of a book like this.
August 19, 2016
This book is a good reminder not to fantasize or romanticize about the late Ottoman harem. There was no belly dancing in there and very few served as consorts (aka "sex slaves") for the Sultan. Sorry to disappoint you, Ali Baba lovers, but you can always go for the Arabian Nights: The Marvels and Wonders of The Thousand and One Nights . The harem "slaves" happened to be well-treated, skilled and educated (above your average everyday Ottoman subject) and some even enjoyed a considerable amount of autonomy and power.
But don't get your hopes up too high, romantics (I'm looking at all of you Erdoganians out there). Life in the harem was definitely not a typical 5-day/week job where people could get on with their lives on the weekends. The harem WAS their lives. It's not like they could not retire if they wished, some did, but most didn't because they were brought in very young and learned to be extremely loyal to their "Masters".
If you can suspend your modern-day projections for a while, you might be able to enjoy this book for what it is: a time travel experience.
But don't get your hopes up too high, romantics (I'm looking at all of you Erdoganians out there). Life in the harem was definitely not a typical 5-day/week job where people could get on with their lives on the weekends. The harem WAS their lives. It's not like they could not retire if they wished, some did, but most didn't because they were brought in very young and learned to be extremely loyal to their "Masters".
If you can suspend your modern-day projections for a while, you might be able to enjoy this book for what it is: a time travel experience.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews