Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-10-16
THE SULTAN'S SERAGLIO.
Some PecuIIarItIes of the Grand
Turks Domestic Arrangements.

A Constantinople correspondent has
been inquiring into the Sultan's extern
sive household arrangements, and gives
some curious particulars. He says the
seraglio buildings stretch to the length
of mile and half and contain more
than 5000 inmates. Here the govern
ment of the Empire is carried on chiefly
by women and children. The Viziers
and Ministers are but the servants of
these secluded creatures, although at
times statesman, supported by strong
palace clique, may WELD real
power, he seldom does so long,
nor is his power very great.
From the moment when he enters the
office he is secretly assaulted by host of
enemies whom he does not see, and whom
he cannot disarm or prOpitiate. All he
knows is that, while these foes are in
triguing against him, the women and
slaves, to whose influence he owes his
place, are fighting for him, and so long
as they keep the upper hand he will be
safe. AS for the Sultan, as a rule, he
was as much at their mercy as his Minis
tiers. A puppet in the hands of women,
he never knows exactly who rules him,
but is obliged, for peace sake, to do as
mother, sisters, kadines, or favorites
order More than one Sultan, weary to
death of seraglio intrigues, have
been glad to make clean sweep of his
female court, but any step in this direc-
ton would have led to conspiracy and
deposition.
The seraglios-for there are two-the
new one, where the court of the reign
ing Sultan resides, and the old one, to
which the favorites of departed Sultans
are relocated -harbor between them
some 1000 persons, and are a source of
ruinous expense to the Treasury. Not
only are the allowances of the Sultanas
kadines, ikbats (favorites and guiezdez
(aspirant favorites) large, but the ways of
the palace are extravagaDt. Each of the
imperial ladies has her diara, or retinue
of companions, and male and female
servants. and all these people scatter
gold about without counting whenever
they have within to satisfy. Sultans do
not contract regular marriages, and the
reigning lady of the seraglio is never the
Sultan's wife, but the mother. She bears
the title of Sultana Valide, and all the
inmates of the sersglio owe her servile
obedience. Her household consists
of about 200 servants and
guards. Next to her in
rank comes the Hasnader Ousta, or
Mistress of the Treasury, who is gener-
ally shrewd old woman. promoted from
the ranks of domesticity for her talent in
gossip and housekeeping. If the Sui
tana Valide dies, the Hasnader succeeds
her as Queen of the Seraglio. After the
Hasnader comes the Sultan's semi-lawful
wives and favorites in the following or
der: First, the four kadines, who rank
as spOuses until His Majesty divorces
them and gives them in marriage to
some Pasha, which he does pretty often
then the ikbats, or favorites, to the mum.
Der of five or six, and then the aspirant
favOrites, whose number is unlimited.
AS every one who marrles from the
seraglio takes with her her clothes,
| jewels, furniture, servants, carriages,
and lump sum in money, which often
| amounts to thousands of dollars, it may
be imagined how the civil list is mulcted
when there are many aspirant favorites.
Coming to the male members of the
seraglio, we find, in addition to the
necessary staff of chamberlains, secre-
| taries, guards, eunuchs, scullions and
| cooks, corps of two hundred pages and
musicians, and very large army Of bar
-bers, champooers, tasters of the Sultan's
food, athletes, buffoons, cock fighters,
ram fighters, astrologers and grooms.
The cock fighters and ram fighters were
appointed to amuse AbdulAziz, but they
have been maintained by the present
Sultan because it is almost impossible
to dismiss any one who has once
held office in the palace without
| giving him pension. The
same may be said of the astrologers,
whose functions have became sinecure,
though they are occasionally summoned
into the haremilk to entertain the ladies
by fortune telling. AS for the buffoons
and dwarfs they have always been
numerous, for ladies living in seclusion
must be made to laugh when the music
and jigging of the dancing girls begin to
pail. These dancing girls form a corps
of 300 strong. and as they are splendidly
dressed and richly fed they cost more to
keep than cavalry regiment.