Concept in Definition ABC

If we consult a dictionary, the word odalisque has different definitions. She is defined as a sex slave and member of a harem, as a Turkish concubine who is in the service of a sultan or as a dancer who entertains the court of a palace of the Empire Ottoman. All these definitions are true and complementary.

The role of the odalisques in the eastern harems

In the old Ottoman Empire the sultan was the ultimate Leader. In her palace he had a dependence exclusively for men (the selamlik) and another only for women, the harenlik or harem. The harem was a women's world and in it there was an organizational structure based on obedience. The mother The sultan was the head of the harem and from this figure there was a certain hierarchical rank. In the first place there was the first wife of the sultan or kadin and then came other wives of lower rank known by the word ikbal. In the last echelon were the odalisques, who were the concubines of inferior category in the harem.

The odalisques did not normally have a Muslim origin, since they were women who came from spoils of war or who had been bought as slaves. In any case, the odalisque acted as a servant of the harem in the service of the sultan's wives, although she could go up in rank and become one of his wives.

In addition to her function as a servant, the odalisque had other tasks: entertaining with her dances and songs the social life of the harem and if they were especially beautiful they could also sexually satisfy to the sultan.

The odalisques from the western point of view

When interest in the eastern world was aroused in the 19th century in the West, some writers and painters were drawn to the way of life in the harems.

The odalisques were seen as inspiring muses with an obvious connotation erotica. In this sense, the odalisques remind us of other figures female: the hetairas of ancient Greece, the courtesans of European monarchies or the geishas of Japanese culture.

Odalisques, hetairas, courtesans or geishas can be valued in two ways: as women who dedicate themselves to prostitution or, more correctly, as women who are part of a culture in which men have a dominant role.

At present the odalisques (whose term comes from the French odalisque and in turn from the Turkish odalik) have become attractive characters in historical novels in which the environment exotic of the harems.

Photos: iStock - marcovarro