Concept in Definition ABC

In ancient Egypt, in ancient China, in the Otaman Empire and in some Arab countries there were centers destined to satisfy sexual needs and to entertainment of the great leaders. Those who engaged in these activities were the concubines and the place designated for this is known as the harem.

The word harem comes from the Arabic word harim, which literally means the forbidden. This concept is used in a double sense, as it refers to the women who were in charge of entertaining the leaders as well as the physical space where they resided.

The organization of the harem during the Ottoman Empire

The harem or harenlik was the dependency for the official wives of the sultan and the odalisques or concubines. Who supervised the functioning of this palace was the mother of the sultan.

On the other hand, the eunuchs were normally black slaves who had been castrated so that they could not maintain intimate relations with the odalisques and their function was to watch over the harem.

Contrary to what is commonly claimed, the odalisques were young women who acted as servants and dancers, but not as mere prostitutes in the service of the sultan. However, an odalisque could attract the attention of the sultan and satisfy his sexual desires or become one of his official wives.

From the point of view of western culture

In the nineteenth century some western travelers felt a strong impact by the atmosphere of the harems in the Ottoman Empire. Around this time, a literary image of the harem began to spread. Thus, in many novels a world of sensuality and eroticism was described that aroused the interest of the reader. From these stories the figure of the odalisque became a new erotic myth.

Sometimes the stories about the harems had a moralizing intention, since they were described as centers of perversion and lust. In this sense, the conservative Western mindset labeled the harem as a center dedicated to sin and degradationmoral of the woman.

In ancient egypt

The pharaohs had harems and hundreds of young women lived there who were recruited from the most humble layers of society or were slaves who had been captured after a booty of war. In the harem compound there were farms for animals and an intense activity, especially oriented to the manufacturing of fabrics.

To the margin From productive activities, the concubines were engaged in entertaining the Pharaoh's court with dances and other distractions. The administration The harem was run by male staff, usually men from confidence of the pharaoh.

Photos: Fotolia - Erica Guilane Nachez