Reign of the Favored Women (57 page)

Selamlik—The men’s portion of a Turkish house. It is a hybrid word containing the Arabic
selam
(like
salaam
, literally peace, a greeting, hence this is the place where guests are greeted) and the Turkish suffix
lik
, which means “place of.”

Shalvar—Turkish trousers worn by men and women.

Spahi—There are two types of spahis. I use the word only in its rarer form, to refer to an elite cavalry troop chosen from the ranks of Palace School as a bodyguard for the Sultan. The more common spahis were freemen awarded lands for services rendered to the throne and who were required to present themselves, horsed and armored, when called upon, something like feudal knights.

Suq—A bazaar.

Tekke—A Turkish monastery for dervishes.

Tughra—A highly stylized signature with the letters twisted together in an artistic fashion used for formal documents.

Ustadh—Turkish, from the Arabic, with the sense of “master” or “teacher”; used to address eunuchs respectfully.

Valide Sultan—The mother of the Sultan, the highest feminine position in the harem.

Waqf—Turkish word, taken from the Arabic, which refers to a pious charitable foundation or trust.

Yelek
—
A floor-length jacket buttoned down the front and worn as part of a Turkish woman
’
s costume.