Tuesday, 18 February 2014

Black Elite in the Ottoman Empire

Please refer to specific pictures were blacks look like lowly serfs.
While a harem would live in a palace because who else could afford the upkeep of one? Poor men would not have harems of women. Yes some of the people helping (dressing or bathing) the white women are black women. As I explained, Europeans had a problem with bathing and general cleasing, they thought taking a bath was an insult as washing their hands. Which is why they were bathed by black men and black women who often served black royalty but were also part of it themself.

A rich man with a harem would want his harem women to look good. What sense does it make to have a bunch of unkempt harem girls? If you are a manager of a strip club or an escort service, or a modelling show, the girls who strip or escort or model will look the best and the girls dressing them up don't look as good and are more unkempt, they are not wearing as fancy things. But don't get it wrong, who is at the bottom of the food chain there. Unless its a supermodel... but i never heard of a superharem.

They aren't slaves per se, they are harem girls basically a type of sexual slave for a very rich man.

Which specific picture is a white the lord of the manner. # please.
Well the servant would not usually wear a fez next to a servant

For instance, here you have a meeting of arab chiefs with a turk, the turk is delineated by his hat but also the photo description. #60 


The turks were conquerors over these lands and often allied with local black arab chieftans to expand their empire.

#32 , you see the black man with the old white slave. Look at the garment of the black man and how it is covered in gold, look at his shoes and how they are golden where the old white slaves wears sandals with his feet poking out.

Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II 


Slave and leader of the empire wear the same hat?

Note the cheapness of the turban or low quality that the white man is wearing, its not what we see in elite, but rather the simple lower class turban

Further the black slave seems to sport a kaftan which was a symbol of ottoman elite whereas the white slave doesn't.

Further the fact the black man is in a fez which is more modern and the white is in a simple turban rather a complex turban, tells us that it is the black man with newer clothes. That is the white man is wearing old clothes because the reforms of the 1800s were meant to do away with turbans and replace them with the fez.

As for #31 , it presents similar issues, does it really make sense a slave is standing over his master pointing down and taking orders? Look at all the holes in the dress of the white man's clothing and how the black man has no holes in his. Does it really make sense a slave master be walking around with a hole in his man dress?

Ottoman emperor meeting with top military commanders

The black one is head of the mint/treasury or finance minister
-the next one over is the emperor, after that is the captain of the Janissary

It would be highly unsual for a slave to wear a fez at that time.

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