Ponderin' the Past...in a Persian Harem

By Katie Marie

Good morning! Today we are going to dive into Roseanna White's newest release, Jewel of Persia. To focus on things more specifically, we're going to look into the life in a harem--since that is where we find the heroine, Kasia. :-)

What exactly is a Harem? Well, wiki came in handy and told me a harem "...refers to the sphere of women...(whose) enclosed quarters are forbidden to men."

So in short--I place where the girls of the house lived away from the other guys. :-)

If you were like me--knew nothing about harems--then you will be very interested in getting Roseanna's book. It's like a great history lesson! Because Kasia was taken to the palace to become a concubine for King Xerxes, I learned a lot about life in a Harem. (And I admit not envying Kasia at all!)

There were two sections to a Harem--one housed the wives and concubines and the other housed the virgins who were preparing to go before the king. Normally, it takes about a year to be prepared (A LONG time, I know!). You can find this information in the book of Esther. For that year a virgin learned how to behave themselves before the king as well as served the finest food, and had beauty treatments excessively administered to them.

Once finished there, you went to the king and then moved into the house of wives and concubines. This is where you would live for the remainder of your days. If you pleased the king, he would call for you. With such a large harem that these kings had, I wonder how many times some girls were never called for again.

In a harem, I can just imagine what the atmosphere would be like. Dozens and dozens of women all vying for one man's attention. All trying to gain the favor of the king for their children. I live in a family of 9 females--and all but three are under 12 years old. That is interesting enough--I cannot imagine living with dozens or hundreds other women who are all out to secure their own ambitions.

Well, I'm starting to ramble here! There is always more to learn, but I think that is enough for now. :-) I can say that I am thankful the Lord didn't put me in a kingdom with harems! lol But it is really neat to learn about. If you are curious to find out more, I highly encourage you to read Roseanna's book, Jewel of Persia. The content is for mature readers, but the historical details in this book are awesome!

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