This grand palace was the residence of the sultans since its construction in 1478 until 1853, when the Sultan moved to another European-style palace, in 1924, reopened as a museum, an activity that continues to devote today.
Surely the harem who had the palace would be great, big, both literally and metaphorically, since many of the women who lived in it would be well trained in arts such as music and dance.
Topkapi's Harem was divided into two classes: the maids-cariyeler and privileged-gedikiler .
The maids had no contact with the Sultan. If any of the women was chosen by the Sultan as a concubine was given a private room to prepare for the appointment, if after this first meeting, the Sultan was interested in her, this lady became odalisque.
The harem was led by the mother of the Sultan, who also chose the women in it. The Sultan's mother (Valide Sultan) could become a powerful figure in the intrigues of the palace, as the example of Kosem , mother of Ibrahim the Mad.
One of the most amazing parts that make up the harem of Topkapi is Cage ( Kafes), a building where enceerraban the heirs to old age, they only came out to replace Sultan died. This was used as a control method, so that no heir to his father conspired or interests.
The harem was a place forbidden to men, except the eunuchs ,, castrated men who guarded the harems, in some cases went on to become powerful men.
The story behind any eunuch had, from my point of view was never to be easy. Men who suffered a painful mutilation and became slaves belonging to a new genus, neither male nor female, and that in the best: survive castration.
Etymologically the word derives from the Latin eunuch eunūchus which in turn derives from the Greek εὐνοῦχος and means "he who keeps bed women."
For Sultan's children to remain in the harem, the eunuchs would be the male figure in a long time and would be among heirs and these guards could be forged friendships that eventually benefit much to the eunuchs.
Returning to the castrated men, we must say that I had the same "value" a castrated all: these were more valuable. At female survivors, they inserted a bar of lead into the urethra to be removed for urination. They also valued their culture: namely recite, sing, play instruments, etc.
A eunuch was that China began historiography: Ssu-Ma-Chen . Go to the s. BC this young man succeeded his father as imperial astrologer and calligrapher, began to gather news from different realms and only wanted to set a timetable for the unification of the territories.
At a meeting of sovereign Chinese generals after a loss, Ssu-Ma-Chen contadijo why they seemed to have lost the battle the generals. To his regret this was taken as an insult to the sovereign and was sentenced to death. The emperor was spared, because she did not want to lose the work that the young man was doing, but sentenced him to be castrated.
Ssu-Ma-Chen could continue their task.
Sources: Great History, n º 18
National Geographic History, n º 56
0 comments:
Post a Comment