seraglio
Ottoman women's chambers
A seraglio is the quarters in a Muslim palace or household where wives and concubines lived, essentially synonymous with harem.
The word entered English from Italian and Turkish, carrying connotations of seclusion, luxury, and the exotic East as imagined by Europeans.
By extension, seraglio can refer to any place associated with sensual indulgence or a group of women kept by one man.
The sultan's seraglio was forbidden to all men except eunuchs.
Non-wife sexual partners kept
- odalisqueHarem slave or attendant
- eunuchsCastrated male attendants
- sultanaSeedless raisin variety
- hareemWomen's household quarters
purdah · consorts · favorites · courtesans · polygamy · sequestered · forbidden · veil
Muslim royal ruler
- TopkapiIstanbul imperial palace
- ConstantinopleHistoric Turkish metropolis
- Sublime PorteSultan's central administration
- vizierMuslim government's chief minister
pasha · divan · Suleiman · Bosphorus · Istanbul · Osman · imperial · dynasty
Fine woven insect fiber
- brocadeRaised-pattern luxury fabric
- velvetThick-pile textile
- jewelsOrnamental precious stones
- goldElement seventy-nine
cushions · incense · perfume · tapestry · mosaic · embroidered · sumptuous · lavish
Enclosed open-air space
- pavilionOpen recreational structure
- colonnadeRow supporting a roof
- minaretMosque tower with balcony
- fountainWater-spouting structure
lattice · alcove · arcade · kiosk · hamam · gilded · chambers · ornate
Clandestine coordinated scheming
- plotStoryline or land parcel
- machinationCrafty scheming, often hostile
- schemingCrafty and calculating
- whispersSpeaks very quietly
poison · rivalry · favoritism · manipulation · power · influence · secrets · betrayal
concubines
Non-wife sexual partners kept
hareem · purdah · consorts · favorites · courtesans · polygamy · sequestered · forbidden · veil · quarters
sultan
Muslim royal ruler
- TopkapiIstanbul imperial palace
- ConstantinopleHistoric Turkish metropolis
- Sublime PorteSultan's central administration
vizier · pasha · divan · Suleiman · Bosphorus · Istanbul · Osman · imperial · dynasty · empire
silk
Fine woven insect fiber
gold · cushions · incense · perfume · tapestry · mosaic · embroidered · sumptuous · lavish · ornate
courtyard
Enclosed open-air space
fountain · lattice · alcove · arcade · kiosk · hamam · gilded · chambers · ornate · domed
conspiracy
Clandestine coordinated scheming
- plotStoryline or land parcel
- machinationCrafty scheming, often hostile
- schemingCrafty and calculating
whispers · poison · rivalry · favoritism · manipulation · power · influence · secrets · betrayal · clandestine
- marriagebride, groom, wedding, husband, wife
- Ottoman EmpireOttoman Empire, sultans, grand vizier, Constantinople, Suleiman
- Eastern talesArabian Nights, Scheherazade, One Thousand and One Nights, Sinbad, Aladdin
- haremconcubines, eunuchs, wives, concubine, eunuch
- Orientalismodalisque, orientalism, Egyptology, snake charmer, harems
- Persian loanwordsbazaar, caravan, dervish, shah, vizier
seraglioopen court
Judicial proceedings accessible publicly
divan · throne room · audience chamber · forum · agora
seragliobarracks
Soldiers' residential building
monastery · war room · armory · gentlemen's club · gentleman's club