Seraglio
A seraglio,[a] serail,[b] seray or saray (from Persian: سرای, romanized: sarāy, lit. 'palace', via Turkish, Italian, and French) is a castle, palace, or government building that was considered to have particular administrative importance in various parts of the former Ottoman Empire.
"The Seraglio" may refer specifically to the Topkapı Palace, the residence of the former Ottoman sultans in Istanbul (known as Constantinople in English at the time of Ottoman rule). The term can also refer to other traditional Turkish palaces (every imperial prince had his own) and other grand houses built around courtyards.
Etymology
The term seraglio, from Italian, has been used in English since 1581. The Italian Treccani dictionary gives two derivations:
- one via Turkish: seray or saray (with the variants seraya or saraya), which comes from Persian: سرای, romanized: sarāy, lit. 'palace' or, per derivation, the enclosed court for the wives and concubines of the harem of a house or palace (see § Harem);
- the other — in the sense of enclosure — from Late/Medieval Latin: serraculum, derived from Classical Latin serare, lit. 'to close', which comes from sera, lit. 'door-bar'.
The term may also be spelled serial, via French influence, based on the Italian term.
Harem
See also: Harem and Imperial Harem
Since the Topkapı Palace's harem (commonly known as "The Seraglio harem") grew in prominence and fame, the term saray/serail/seraglio began also being commonly used as a synonym of harem, the sequestered living quarters used by wives and concubines in an Ottoman household.
- More information is available at [ Wikipedia:Seraglio ]
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