seraglio

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Interior view of a harem, probably an Ottoman harem of later destroyed saray.

A seraglio (also serraglio) is the sequestered living quarters used by wives and concubines in a Turkish household, from an Italian variant of Persian^[1] saray (سرای) , meaning "palace", "enclosed courts". The term "harem" is also used to refer to these sequestered living quarters, but has additionally come to refer to the entire sequestered household of women.

In the context of the turquerie fashion, the seraglio became the subject of works of art, the most famous perhaps being Mozart's Singspiel, Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio). In Montesquieu's Persian Letters, one of the main characters, a Persian from the city of Isfahan, is described as an occupant of a seraglio.

"The Seraglio" may refer specifically to the Topkapı Palace, the residence of the former Ottoman Sultans in Istanbul. The term can also refer to other traditional Turkish palaces (every imperial prince had his own) and other grand houses built around courtyards.

See also

• Imperial Harem
• Harem
• Caravanserai, another word involving saray, is an inn or rest stop for caravans.

References

1. ^ Etymonline

External links

• AllAboutTurkey