HAREM SECRETS

Hokitika Guardian, 19 July 1930, Page 7

HAREM SECRETS

ijTtlifc SULTAN’S SERAGLIO

NEW “ARABIAN NIGHTS.’’

DREAM PALACE Wide-eyed with curiosity, hundreds of visitors are passing through the great -seventeenth century bronze dpor in the Palace of Topkapou giving access to the Sultan’s Seraglio which has—for -the first time in history—been opened to the public. Standing amid surroundings almost indescribable beautiful, they are able to reconstruct for themselves the life of the Turkish sultans of the past 400 years. .. Accompanied by a guide, T made a tour of the harem building and gardens, M'here countless sultans held court over tlieir wives and hundreds of concubines, states a “Daily Chronicle”, correspondent.

Built for the roost part by the Sultan Solomon the Great in the sixteenth century,' the Palace of the Seraglio has been transformed several times following fires and invasions. Q Other sultans added wings and pavilions, find the palace to-day consists of a great rambling series of buildihgs connected by enclosed courtyards. • The chief and most sumptuously furnished building is that In which dwelt the (jultans, their wives, their women relatives, and children. Attached to the main building are two smaller houses,'..bearing the names of the Sultans Mehmed IV. and Osman 111. These buildintrs were constructed to hbuse of concubines.

FOUNTAINS AND MARBLE BATHS

Facipg the main or imperial harem is a' halcouied courtyard. The balcony waisr;us<id by the sultans and their whmenito take the air, from publm gatse.*-". | I' found 1 the imperial harem to be cjomptosed of a series of suite? ol rooms, . each having its small couftfohtitains, and series of. conand corridors. " Each suite has several dining rooms, drawing rooms and bedrooms, while Ihe are constructed of ornate mafb)ei. % , <, -> , t # imperial harem also .contains the - by the Sultan Ahmet 1., ; successive Sultans added iere%blu?hes. /, / . . , of the Sultans; themselves of their occupants on the dool’S'..:/ ■■ ' ormanented with Italian .iind Chinese friezes, and contain ■umptuou*:-gilded and' tapestried furn* . 'golden canoptes. v \ ■- \ A\apeciailiTeature of each room is the _ ... I, ■ ■ Q-Mi

magnificent great bed, with canopies of cloth of gold and other rare materials. Every room has also divans of great' beauty. Rare paintings and other works of art are strewn about the rooms.

Thick, carpets of almost priceless value cover the floors. Each chamber has a fountain mounted on a dais. The corridors and ante-chambers lead to the balcony, from which a glorious view can be obtained of the royal park and gardens. GUARDED DOOR. A heavy door, dated 1G67, provides the only access to the harem, and efiee tively shuts the seraglio off from the other parts of the palace. Through this door, which was guarded in former days by eunuchs, only the suitan, his wives, women, relatives, servants and eunuchs were allowed to pass. Nearby tlWe is another door, which was the servants entrance. Before this door is a heavy table on which the food snplied for the harem inmates were placed to be collected by the eunuchs. Inside the main gate, giving access to the court of the Imperial Harem, is a magnificent mosaic gateway, through which the sultans made a Etate entry when returning from wars and travels abroad. Sultans would ride on horseback to provide an impressive picture for their waiting, wives. The Sultan would then be received i by his chief eunuch and escorted to the | throne room in the Imperial Harem, where his wives would be waiting to greet him. The colour scheme throughout the harem is mauve, the walls are decorated with mauve-ooloured tiles, while the furniture is inlnid with mother-of-pearl.