Turkish First Lady: harem was 'school' for women
- 8 years ago
Turkey’s First Lady has called the harem of Ottoman sultans a “school” preparing women for life, according to local media.
Westerners often think of harems as the sultan’s sexual playground, but Emine Erdogan called it an educational institution for members of the Ottoman dynasty. She was speaking at an official event on Ottoman sultans in Ankara, according to Turkish TV stations.
The sultans who ruled the Ottoman empire for six centuries had a harem at Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace, which was turned into a museum after the birth of the Turkish Republic in 1923.
The harem did have strict rules on the recruitment and education of courtesans. Each woman would receive an education in a discipline in which she showed promise – for example calligraphy, decorative arts, music or foreign languages — and the most capable could rise to wield enormous influence over the court.
But Emine Erdogan’s comments came under fire on social media, just a day after her husband marked International Wome
Westerners often think of harems as the sultan’s sexual playground, but Emine Erdogan called it an educational institution for members of the Ottoman dynasty. She was speaking at an official event on Ottoman sultans in Ankara, according to Turkish TV stations.
The sultans who ruled the Ottoman empire for six centuries had a harem at Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace, which was turned into a museum after the birth of the Turkish Republic in 1923.
The harem did have strict rules on the recruitment and education of courtesans. Each woman would receive an education in a discipline in which she showed promise – for example calligraphy, decorative arts, music or foreign languages — and the most capable could rise to wield enormous influence over the court.
But Emine Erdogan’s comments came under fire on social media, just a day after her husband marked International Wome