seraglios
Ottoman women's chambers
Seraglios is the plural of seraglio, a term for the sequestered living quarters of wives and concubines in a Muslim household—essentially synonymous with harem.
The word also referred to a Turkish palace, particularly the sultan's palace in Constantinople.
By extension, seraglio sometimes describes any place associated with sensual indulgence: The dormitory had become a seraglio of sorts.
Non-wife sexual partners kept
- sultanaSeedless raisin variety
- wivesMarried female partners
- eunuchsCastrated male attendants
- favoritesMost preferred choices
consorts · veil · seclusion · polygamy · jealousy · intrigue · hierarchy · harem pants
concubines
Non-wife sexual partners kept
favorites · consorts · veil · seclusion · polygamy · jealousy · intrigue · hierarchy · harem pants · Ottoman
exotic
Strikingly unusual, foreign-seeming
- mysteriousBeyond easy comprehension
- forbiddenNot allowed
- sensualOf bodily pleasure
fantasy · romanticized · paintings · Delacroix · literary · Byron · Mozart · captivity · allure · decadent
palace
Monarch's official residence
- chambersEnclosed functional rooms
- courtyardEnclosed open-air space
- pavilionOpen recreational structure
inner sanctum · enclosure · gilded · tiles · fountains · gardens · domes · arabesques · mosaics · opulent
seragliosthrone rooms
Ceremonial seats of power
great halls · reception halls · public squares · agoras · forums
seragliosbarracks
Soldiers' residential building
war rooms · council chambers · gentlemen's clubs · smoking rooms