Why were male harems needed and how did they get there?

Turkish TV series, of course, romanticized harem life. Now they are remembered with beautiful women, belly dances, fragrant baklavas and Turkish delight, exotic gardens, magnificent courtyards and fountains. But few people know that in different parts of the world there are harems for men selected according to special criteria. We tell you how they are designed and why they are needed.

Where and why did the tradition of polyandry arise?

Let’s start with the fact that in some cultures there is still such a thing as polyandry or polyandry. Anthropologists from the University of Missouri counted as many as 53 people who practiced this type of intercourse. Polyandry is found among peoples in the far north; for example, Eskimos (northern Russia), Aleuts (Alaska), and Nivkhs (Sakhalin Island and Japan). Chukchi and Eskimos even exchange partners. Moreover, a woman is free to choose candidates for the role of lover and even go to live with him for a long time. By the way, we have previously told you where this tradition of hospitable heterism comes from.

Scientists distinguish between related and unrelated polyandry. For example, women in Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan marry not only the person they choose, but also one or more brothers. Moreover, children born in such a union are considered common. In India, this type of relationship is officially prohibited, but the peoples of the foothills of the Himalayas continue to marry relatives, thus avoiding conflicts over land and property, including between multiple heirs.

For example, unrelated polyandry exists in Nigeria, Kenya, and Tanzania. Therefore, women of the Irigwe tribe choose several “husbands” from different tribes, as it is believed that communication with many partners makes the offspring healthier.

The number of lovers of women from Melanesia and Polynesian tribes is by no means limited. Since the welfare of the people depends on the number of employees, women accept those who work for them as the fathers of their children.

It is worth mentioning that matriarchy and polyandry have always been associated with the high status of women in society. As a rule, they are richer than their chosen ones. In the Bororo tribe of South America, inheritance passes through the female line, so after marriage, a man settles into his wife’s household while continuing to help the family into which he was born. Women are free to choose a few people of their choice to increase their wealth.

How were men’s harems built?

Did men’s harems exist in the same sense as women’s harems? Yes, but first things first. Generally, harem (or “haram”) translates as “forbidden and sacred place”, accessible only to the Sultan, the shadow of Allah on earth. Harem is not a place where only concubines live. The ruler’s mother and sisters, who had the title of Valide Sultan, also lived here. Moreover, the women’s part of Topkapi Palace was also divided: family members, including the sultan’s wife, lived in one, and concubines lived in the other. However, there was also a male section in the harem, where the sultan’s relatives and siblings as well as the prince’s heirs lived.

Some sources also mention male harems where foreign captives lived. Almost nothing is known about them. It is only mentioned that the sultan spent time playing games and having intellectual conversations with them. It was believed that foreigners were completely dependent on the ruler and therefore could not harm him. As in women’s harems, order in men’s society was maintained by the Kızılyar agha, the head of the eunuchs, mostly of the black race (he was called “black eunuch”).

How they had fun in their male harems

There is much more information about male harems at the court of Emperor Qianlong, who reigned in China from 1735 to 1795. Such young people served as decoration of the palace. They were beautiful and educated. They knew how to play musical instruments, dance, they knew literature and court etiquette. The emperor’s favorites were given luxurious gifts and invitations to important events. But life among such courtiers was not easy: one day the emperor ordered to beat to death a young man who could not play the required piece on a musical instrument.

But men’s harems, in the usual sense, reached their real development under the rule of female rulers. The legendary Empress Wu Zetian, the only woman in the entire history of the Celestial Empire to bear the imperial title of Huangdi (other rulers bore the title of taihou, that is, empress dowager – Ed.), according to her status it was also convenient for her to acquire a harem for sexual pleasures, as was the case with male rulers.

Men were carefully selected before they were allowed into her room. In the harem located in Sanyang Palace, there were approximately 400 handsome young men with tall and strong physiques. Wu Zetian needed them not only for sex, but also to create the elixir of youth. Even so, the empress lived to be 81 years old.

There is another evidence of the existence of male harems in Chinese history. During the Tang Dynasty, the unmarried princess Shanyin complained to her brother Emperor Cang Wu that he had concubines to protect her yang energy, but she was not capable of preserving her feminine yin power.

The Son of Heaven understood the truth of her words and invited his sister to choose several lovers from among his warriors. The Emperor also ordered the construction of the “Secret Gate Palace of Desire” for her, which essentially became her personal harem. Shanyin’s many favorites were protected by eunuchs, who ensured they remained loyal only to her and prevented outside relations.