Extremely wrong, but is actually correct

In the Ottoman Empire, the Sultan’s mother and sisters were a part of his harem. That may sound alarming to some, due to our misunderstandin...

In the Ottoman Empire, the Sultan’s mother and sisters were a part of his harem.

That may sound alarming to some, due to our misunderstanding of what a harem was. In the Western popular imagination, the harem was a place dedicated to the Sultan’s pleasure and romantic endeavors, and I’ve even heard it described as a brothel.

“In the Harem” by Filippo Baratti in 1881. Orientalist paintings like this, in which harem concubines lounged around doing nothing, reflect the misconceptions we often have about the harem.

In reality, the harem was the section of a household that served as the women’s living quarters. It could also refer to the household’s women themselves.

This did not just include the Sultan’s concubines. It also included the Sultan’s unmarried female relatives, such as his sisters and his mother, the Valide Sultan. The vast majority of harem women, who were often servants, would never even meet the Sultan, let alone establish a sexual or romantic relationship with him.

Bust of Hafsa Sultan in Manisa. Hafsa was the mother of Suleiman the Magnificent (r. 1520–1566) and the first harem mother to be called the “Valide Sultan.”

The Sultan’s Valide was in charge of his harem and served as one of his closest advisors and confidants. I’ve written about the topic here: John Oparinde's answer to What happened to the concubines in the Ottoman harem upon the death of their current sultan?