2024 - The Ottoman Harems of the Eighteenth Century, by Deniz Türker

Dr. Deniz Türker’s forthcoming book, part of Cambridge University Press’ prestigious Elements in the History of Constantinople series, offers a fresh perspective on the influential roles played by Ottoman royal women during the reign of Sultan Selim III (1789–1807). While Ottoman harem history is often clouded by exoticism and stereotype, Türker instead focuses on the political, social, and material worlds these women inhabited and shaped.

Mihrişah Valide Sultan, Sineperver Kadınefendi, and the Sultan’s sisters emerge as key players in this narrative, not merely as royal figures but as active participants in court diplomacy, philanthropy, and the empire’s sweeping Nizam-ı Cedid (New Order) reforms. Through their estates, sub-courts, and involvement in Bosphorus-wide networks, these women made their presence felt in Istanbul’s urban and diplomatic spheres. The book draws extensively on their personal correspondence, financial records, and architectural patronage to reconstruct their influence in Ottoman society.

Crucially, Türker explores how these royal women’s courts became essential stops for foreign dignitaries, rivaling the Sultan’s own court in ceremonial importance. The book also examines their prolific engagement with artisans, bureaucrats, and powerbrokers, revealing the deep entanglement between gender, politics, and material culture in Ottoman modernity.

Dr. Deniz Türker is an art historian specializing in Ottoman architecture, gender studies, and material culture. This book, supported by The Barakat Trust, promises to reshape understandings of women’s agency in the Ottoman Empire and the making of Istanbul’s architectural and social fabric.