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3. Women’s hierarchy in the Harem

Within an Ottoman Harem, it was a highly structured society with leadership and subordinate roles for its occupants. The highest position was taken up by Valide Sultan (Sultan’s mother), then came Kadin Efendi (first wife), of which under Islam a man could have a maximum of 4 wives, followed by Kadins (wife of the Sultan). Usually, the position of Kadin Efendi was acquired as a result of being the first woman to bestow on the Sultan a son. The position of the other Kadins usually depended on the order in which they bore the sultan sons.

Due to the patriarchal nature of Ottoman Society women that gave birth to girls were the lowest in the ranking of Kadins, even though they still held a relatively high position in the harem. After the Kadins came the Ikbals, (favorite) who were women the sultan liked for other reasons apart from sex; together they would discuss art, music or politics or possibly the sultan adored her singing talent.

Next in the hierarchy came the Gediks (maids in waiting), who were girls the sultan took a fancy to but did not sleep with and usually became personal servants to the sultan. At the bottom of rung were slave girls, called Odalisques (virgins) who were there to carry out the more menial tasks required in the daily running of the harem.

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