..but the harem in the Topkapi Palace delighted and fascinated me. The strange juxtaposition of lavish, ornate and opulent openness with a prison-like reality followed me throughout each heavily tiled mosaic room that glistened with reflections of colored light from stained glass windows; light that fell on velvet pillows and rebounded off gold framed mirrors. The women that lived here were shackled by tradition, custom and probably the type of in-fighting and conniving that would put Dynasty or Dallas to shame. Only a few concubines were the fortunate ones that would be chosen by the Valide Sultan (the Sultan's mother) to 'serve' him.
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