Topkapi Harem, Seraglio Point Istanbul
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Upon entering the harem at Topkapi Sereyi (Topkapi Palace) on Seraglio Point in Istanbul, one should remember that the term Seraglio itself means the sequestered living spaces for the wives of the Sultan. Inside, the first thing that is visible are the rows of square windows with iron gratings over each. If one were to look inside, squat, unadorned prison-like cubicles would become visible. These are the spaces where the Black Eunuchs in training lived.
The entrance to the courtyard where Black Eunuchs were trained.
In Ottoman times, Black Eunuchs were often enslaved men who were brought over from Africa, castrated, and trained to become the extended ear of the sultan, the Sultan Valide (the sultan’s mother, who runs the harem), and the hundreds of wives who competed for the sultan’s favor, rising from the ranks of weekday booty-call to the grand post of the succeeding Sultan Valide, if they succeed and their child became the next ruler in power. These women were also kidnapped from various countries such as Russia, Armenia, and any corner of the earth that happens to offer individuals with fair skin.
Long before Hollywood perpetuated that myth.
One of the private rooms of the Sultan Valide
Of interest, and particularly high on the cringe level, Muslim women were automatically exempt from slavery, while Christians, Jews, People of the Book, as well as Hot Topic shoppers were not. Once enslaved, they were immediately converted to the Muslim faith. That would be equivalent to converting to Christianity after kicking the bucket, or becoming chosen people after your therapist tells you you have a guilt complex.
The sultan’s many wives were trained to play musical instruments to please the Sultan in the living room of the harem. They were also taught to sing, dance, and attend to the Sultan. Speaking of which…have any of my gentle readers decided who among them are to become my Sultan?
The living room in the Harem where the sultan is entertained with music performances from any one of his many wives. The sofa on the right is his seat.
The sofas in the elevated pavilion of the living room where his other wives would sit in repose.
But let’s get back to the Black Eunuchs. Once their beloved sultan passes away or passes on their throne, the Eunuch is shipped back to his country, with little or no opportunity to improve his standing. So you see why they had such a nasty habit of spreading gossip, pitting the sultan’s wives against each other, and finding vindictive pleasure in seeing that the women they were supposed to look after come to some harm. In the competitive environment of the harem, the Eunuch is a conduit that can either distort messages from one lip to another ear, or invent gossip about stuff that never was. Since the Eunuch is no longer able to sustain sexual interest in the women, they must have felt safe confiding in him.
In modern times, the Black Eunuch would be replaced by that popular flaming queen whom all straight women have to muscle their way past other WWHCWCMFTSKOMAPIOW’s (Women Who Hold Council With Castrated Men for Their Sexual Knowledge in Other Men and Pyschological Insight in Other Women) or fag hags to get to for advice on how to land that man. Since the gay guy doesn’t have any interest in girls (and can listen to all that girl talk while matching drapes and whipping up a creme brulee to die for), these straight women feel safe confiding in him. After they land their man - and it could very well be years - the sad queen returns to his gay bar, but is now way over the hill in gay years (that would be approximately around 27 years old in heterosexual chronology) to be of any value.
Not much has changed. Instead of Iznik tiles in the backdrop, we now have LCD monitors.
Detail of Iznik Tile