Vahan Cardashian spent several years living in the Ottoman Empire during the late 19th century and became intimately familiar with the customs and practices of the imperial harem. In this unique memoir, Cardashian provides a rare glimpse into the daily life of the women who lived in the harem. He also offers a critical analysis of the politics and social structure of Ottoman society. This book is an important contribution to the study of Middle Eastern history and culture. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.