The Concubine, the Princess, and the Teacher: Voices from the Ottoman Harem

Glossary of Terms and Places

Glossary of Terms and Places Note: Where a Turkish word or phrase has been translated, the original term appears in parentheses after the definition. aa Title of respect accorded mostly to eunuchs, following their name aure Pudding made of chickpeas, hulled wheat, and dried fruit, traditionally served on the tenth of the month of Muharrem aya sofya The great Byzantine church of Hagia Sophia, converted into a mosque at the Ottoman conquest of Istanbul balmumcu District of Istanbul above Yıldız Palace, literally “Beeswax seller”; site of imperial farmstead with lodge, assigned to Sultan Reşad before he ascended the throne baltalmanı Harbor on the European shore of the Bosphorus, nearly halfway between Istanbul and the Black Sea berat See Kandil bekta District of Istanbul along the European shore of the Bosphorus, location of Dolmabahçe, Çırağan, and Yıldız Palaces besmele The religious formula in Arabic Bismillah ir-rahman ir-rahim, “In the name of God the Compassionate, the Merciful,” the standard invocation when commencing an activity bey Title of respect accorded to men of some rank beylerbey District of Istanbul along the Asian shore of the Bosphorus beyolu District of Istanbul slightly north of the Golden Horn, center of the city’s mercantile and cultural life çaraf Outdoor overgarment for women, usually concealing the entire body and consisting of three parts: a veil over the face, an upper garment covering the head and upper torso including the arms, and a skirt from the waist to the feet ceremonial hall Vast room at Dolmabahçe Palace that separates the harem  | glossary of terms and places from the state apartments wing of the palace; site of the most important state receptions (Muayede Salonu) ceremonial wing Hall and adjoining rooms at the west end of the harem quarters at Dolmabahçe Palace (Merasim Dairesi) chalet villa One of the grandest villas constructed by Sultan Abdülhamid on the grounds of Yıldız Palace (Şale Köşkü) chintz pavilion Building on the grounds of Yıldız Palace used for receiving ambassadors and foreign diplomats; built during the reign of Sultan Abdülaziz (Çit Kasrı) çıraan palace “Palace of the Lamps,” the imperial residence completed in 1871 along the Bosphorus a short distance north of Dolmabahçe Palace on the site of an older palace demolished for it concubine A lady in a prince’s harem who had had sexual relations with her master; in a sultan’s harem, one of the sultan’s ladies who was not appointed to the position of consort but ranked as either ikbal or gözde confession of faith The religious formula in Arabic, “There is no god but the one God, and Muhammad is the Prophet of God” consort Highest-ranking concubine of a sultan, limited to four in number. The monarch may or may not have undergone marriage with a consort, as he wished. Below the four consorts ranked the concubines (Kadın or Kadınefendi) constable of the maidens Black eunuch charged with supervision of the harem (Kızlar Ağası) damad “Son-in-law,” title accorded to husbands of princesses darülaceze Poorhouse constructed by order of Sultan Abdülhamid II in 1895 in the Okmeydanı district of Istanbul, under the Ministry of the Interior, for indigent men and women, handicapped persons, and children; still in operation dervish Member of one of the mystical orders in Islam dolmabahçe palace “Palace of the Filled Garden,” completed in 1856, the European-style palace constructed on the site of a filled-in cove along the shores of the Bosphorus; designed to serve as the primary residence of the Sultans in place of centuries-old Topkapı Palace dragoman Official engaged in the translation section of an embassy in Istanbul ; liaison between his embassy, or nationals of the embassy he represented, and the Ottoman government edirne gate One of the gates in the land walls of Stambul, at the northwestern edge of the old city south of the Golden Horn efend Title of great respect for men of considerable standing; also accorded to women usually in tandem with another title, e.g., Sultan Efendi for a princess entourage The household of a sultan’s or adult prince’s concubine; also the household of an adult princess or the top-ranking harem staff. Each entourage— assigned its own apartments—consisted of a Senior Kalfa, Junior Kalfa, serving [3.139.236.89] Project MUSE (2024...