Transgenders and Eunuch History in Turkey

[Hakan1975 (imported)]

Has anyone heard about Bulent Ersoy?

I just wanted to share this info with the community here... He (now she) is one of the first publicly known transgender singer in Turkey and she is regarged as "Diva" the italian term as the best female singer of the classical Turkish music...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%BClent_Ersoy

Also about the Eunuch history in Turkey, can be interesting to most of you so i wanted to share as well

We also as a country have a long presence of eunuchs as well. At the time of the Ottomans, each sultan has their own eunuchs at the so called harem as eunuch guards to protect their wifes from outsiders...Mostly slave children brought from Africa or the surrounding region were castrated and raised as eunuch guards at the Sultan's Harem

More info below..

"Eunuchs were the integral other half of the harem. Eunuchs were considered to be less than men and thus unable to be "tempted" by the harem women and would remain solely loyal to the Sultan. Eunuchs were castrated men and hence possessed no threat to the sanctity of the harem.

According to Muslim tradition, no man could lay his eyes on another man's harem, thus someone less than a man was required for the role of watchful guardianship over the harem women. Eunuchs tended to be male prisoners of war or slaves, castrated before puberty and condemned to a life of servitude.

White eunuchs were first provided from the conquered Christian areas of Caucasia, Georgia, and Armenia. They were also culled from Hungarian, Slovenian, and German prisoners of war. These white eunuchs were captured during the conflicts that arouse between the Ottoman Empire and the Balkan countries. Black eunuchs were captured from Egypt, Abyssinia and the Sudan. Black slaves were captured from the upper Nile and transported to markets on the Mediterranean Sea - Mecca, Medina, Beirut, Izmir and Istanbul. All eunuchs were castrated en route to the markets by Egyptian Christians or Jews, as Islam prohibited the practice of castration but not the usage of castrated slaves.

There were several different varieties of eunuchs:

Sandali, or clean-shaven: The parts are swept off by a single cut of a razor, a tube (tin or wooden) is set in the urethra, the wound is cauterized with boiling oil, and the patient is planted in a fresh dung-hill. His diet is milk, and if under puberty he often survives.

The eunuch whose penis is removed: He retains all the power of copulation and procreation without the wherewithal; and this, since the discovery of caoutchouc, has often been supplied.

The eunuch, or classical thlibias and semivir, who has been rendered sexless by the removing of the testicles..., or by their being bruised..., twisted, seared or bandaged.

Black eunuchs tended to be of the first category: Sandali, while white eunuchs were of the second or third categories, thus have part or their entire penis intact. Because of their lack of parts, black eunuchs served in the harem, while white eunuchs served in the government (and away from the women). At the height of the Ottoman Empire, as many as six to eight hundred eunuchs served within the Seraglio (palace). Most eunuchs arrived as gifts from governors of different provinces. At the end of their training as young eunuch pages, eunuchs were assigned to service. White eunuchs were placed under the patronage of various government officials or even into the service of the Sultan himself (like in Topkapi Palace). If they were black eunuchs, they were placed into the service of a harem personage, such as a Kadin, or a daughter or sister of the Sultan. They could also serve under the Kizlar Agha (master of the girls), the Chief Black Eunuch.

The Chief Black Eunuch (Kizlar Agha)

The Kizlar Agha was the third highest-ranking officer of the empire, after the Sultan and the Grand Vizier (Chief Minister). He was the commander of the baltaci corps (or halberdiers - part of the imperial army). His position was a pasha (general) of three tails (tails referring to peacock tails, and the most number of tails permitted being four and worn by the Sultan). He could approach the Sultan at any time, and functioned as the private messenger between the Sultan and the Grand Vizier. He was the most important link between the Sultan and the Valide Sultan (mother of the Sultan).

The Kizlar Agha led the new odalisque to the Sultan's bedchamber, and was the only "man" who could enter the harem should there have been any nocturnal emergencies. His duties were to protect the women, to provide and purchase the necessary odalisques for the harem, to oversee the promotion of the women (usually after the death of a higher-ranking kadin) and eunuchs. He acted as a witness for the Sultan's marriage, birth ceremonies, and arranged all the royal ceremonial events, such as circumcision parties, weddings, and fêtes. He also delivered sentence to harem women accused of crimes, taking the guilty women to the executioner to be placed into sacks and drowned in the Bosphorus which lay outside the Topkapi Palace.

The Chief White Eunuch (Kapi Agha)

The Chief White Eunuch was the head of the Inner Service (which is the palace bureaucracy) and the head of the Palace School (school for white eunuchs). He was also Gatekeeper-in-Chief, head of the infirmary, and master of ceremonies of the Seraglio. The Kapi Agha controlled all messages, petitions, and State documents addressed to the Sultan, and was allowed to speak to the Sultan in person. In 1591, Murad III transferred the powers from the white to the black eunuchs as there were too many embezzlements and various other nefarious crimes being attributed to the white eunuchs, among them being purported intimacy with the harem women. The Kapi Agha's loss of powers was seen through the decreasing of his ceremonial duties (which had various stipends entailed) and the decrease in his overall income. Originally, the Kapi Agha was the only eunuch allowed to speak to the Sultan alone, but as his importance decreased, the Valide Sultan and the Kizlar Agha were able to request private audience with the Sultan also. Because of their possible disloyalty, white eunuchs were assigned positions that did not bring them into contact with the harem women as many of them had incomplete castrations (still possessing of their penis). The total number of white eunuchs in the Seraglio at any given time was between 300 and 900.

In the late sixteen hundreds, the power of the black eunuchs grew. During the Kadinlar Sultanati, the eunuchs increased their political leverage by taking advantage of child Sultans or mentally incompetent ones. It was during this period of enthronement of child Sultans that caused political instability. The young teenage Sultans were "guided" by regencies formed by the Valide Sultan, the Grand Vizier and the Valides other supporters. The Kizlar Agha was the Valide Sultan's and the Kadin's intimate and value accomplice. "

best wishes from Istanbul

hakan

[Hash (imported)]

Thanks for the history, unfortunately, the specific details and the personal accounts of these men who were castrated seems to have been lost forever. Can you imagine the horror that must have filled their souls when they faced castration? Can you imagine the pain they suffered since they had nothing to numb the area with? Maybe they were drugged with opium or something else or maybe they were just tied up for this brutal method. Then, if they survived, I wonder what they said after looking and seeing and feeling that their testicles or penises were gone. Must have been a mental mind shock. Were they grateful that they were still alive or filled with rage and wanting to die?

[devi (imported)]

This is a good little article. I'm curious if any native Turkish natural born-eunuchs ever served for the sultans. Being that born-eunuchs have such tiny testicles (if any) then would they have to had to undergo further genital nullification as with the others or would they just be left as is? And if so, would they have tended to have a higher rank with the sultans than either the black or white eunuchs? And would they be also be "free" rather than slave eunuchs?

[Hakan1975 (imported)]

Thanks for the history, unfortunately, the specific details and the personal accounts of these men who were castrated seems to have been lost forever. Can you imagine the horror that must have filled their souls when they faced castration? Can you imagine the pain they suffered since they had nothing to numb the area with? Maybe they were drugged with opium or something else or maybe they were just tied up for this brutal method. Then, if they survived, I wonder what they said after looking and seeing and feeling that their testicles or penises were gone. Must have been a mental mind shock. Were they grateful that they were still alive or filled with rage and wanting to die?

I completely agree. Those were the years most probably through 1500's to 1800's...Imagine those times when none of todays medical devices, medicines etc available...And of course the horror, you are taken apart from your lands/family and brought to the palace or to harem...I am sure there had been huge number of losses after performing the castration due to loss of blood, pain and infection...and the best pain killer most probably was opium....

The ones that managed to survive I guess get used to their life cause they are not used for sexual abuse or so but to serve at the Harem or at the service of Sultan (not sexually) so their situation is somehow better at that time compared to peasents/villagers etc and most are castrated at a very young age that they never experienced a regular manhood or so and raised up as eunuchs...

but whatever, thinking about castration at the 16th-17th centuries whatever the method used, all will be regarded as brutal in todays standarts...

[Hakan1975 (imported)]

This is a good little article. I'm curious if any native Turkish natural born-eunuchs ever served for the sultans. Being that born-eunuchs have such tiny testicles (if any) then would they have to had to undergo further genital nullification as with the others or would they just be left as is? And if so, would they have tended to have a higher rank with the sultans than either the black or white eunuchs? And would they be also be "free" rather than slave eunuchs?

Most are served at the palace during their life times and regarded as slaves but not to mix them with regular slaves...the eunuchs at the palace at those times were in service of Sultan(King) to protect his Harem(the chamber of his girls) and some are also used at public services on behalf of Sultan lets say like todays clerical works...They have their own salaries paid by the palace and most were in better conditions compared to the villagers living outside of the palace...The eunuchs were somehow priviliged that they were living at the Palace with their own chambers/rooms and orders...

[JesusA (imported)]

Hello Hakan,

Thank you for your information on eunuchs during the Ottoman Empire. I know that there have been some books written on the subject – I have held them in my hands in the UC Berkeley Library, wishing I could read Turkish. What you have written is greatly appreciated.

[Hakan1975 (imported)]

Hello Hakan,

Thank you for your information on eunuchs during the Ottoman Empire. I know that there have been some books written on the subject – I have held them in my hands in the UC Berkeley Library, wishing I could read Turkish. What you have written is greatly appreciated.

Cool !!!

Having books written about Eunuchs in Turkish @Berkeley ...even books here about Eunuchs in Istanbul Turkey is very hard to find if you are not a collectionist or an expert on the subject or so... I wonder who the authors of those ones may be I can help you to have some translated to English though if any...

Istanbul 7 hrs ahead of NY so good nite to me and i can reply back to you more on tomorrow...

best wishes

hakan

[transward (imported)]

There were several different varieties of eunuchs:

Sandali, or clean-shaven: The parts are swept off by a single cut of a razor, a tube (tin or wooden) is set in the urethra, the wound is cauterized with boiling oil, and the patient is planted in a fresh dung-hill. His diet is milk, and if under puberty he often survives.

The eunuch whose penis is removed: He retains all the power of copulation and procreation without the wherewithal; and this, since the discovery of caoutchouc, has often been supplied.

The eunuch, or classical thlibias and semivir, who has been rendered sexless by the removing of the testicles..., or by their b

eing bruised..., twisted, seared or bandaged.

Cool !!!

Having books written about Eunuchs in Turkish @Berkeley ...even books here about Eunuchs in Istanbul Turkey is very hard to find if you are not a collectionist or an expert on the subject or so... I wonder who the authors of those ones may be I can help you to have some translated to English though if any...

Istanbul 7 hrs ahead of NY so good nite to me and i can

reply back to you more on tomorrow...

best wishes

hakan

I will point out that the description of the types of eunuchs is not from Turkish sources but is a word for word quote from Sir Richard Francis Burton's "Terminal Essay'" to his 15 volume Arabian Nights. See quote from Burton:

. http://www.fullbooks.com/Supplemental-N ... me-16.html In the East also, as I have stated (v. 46), eunuchs

are of three kinds:--1. Sandali, or the clean-shaved, the

classical apocopus.

The parts are swept off by a single cut of a

razor, a tube (tin or wooden) is set in the urethra, the wound is

cauterised with boiling oil, and the patient is planted in a

fresh dung

hill. His diet is milk; and if under puberty, he often

survives. This is the eunuque aqueduc, who must pass his water

through a tube. 2

. The eunuch whose penis is removed: he retains

all the power of copulation and procreation without the

wherewithal; and this, since the discovery of caoutchouc, has

often been supplied.

3. The eunuch, or classical Thlibias and

S

emivir, who has been rendered sexless by

removing the testicles

(as the priests of Cybele were castrated with a stone knife), or

by bruising (the Greek Thlasias), twisting, searing, or bandaging

them. A more humane process has lately been introduced: a

horsehair is tied round the neck of the scrotum and tightened by

slow degrees till the circulation of the part stops and the bag

drops off without pain. This has been adopted in sundry Indian

regiments of Irregular Cavalry, and it succeeded admirably: the

animals rarely required a day's rest. The practice was known to

the ancients.

I highly recommend the Terminal Essay, one of the most interesting discussion of homosexuality throughout history. Impressive, even for today, and amazing for the late 19th century.

Transward

[Uncle Flo (imported)]

Just think what could be known if Sir Richard Francis Burton's notes and first drafts had not been destroyed. --FLO--

[transward (imported)]

Just think what could be known if Sir Richard Francis Burton's notes and first drafts had not been destroyed. --FLO--

Exactly. Damn Isabel Burton and her small minded religiosity.

Transward