Against the popular belief of what a Harem (Harén) was, this one
was simply the king's home. The Harem was not a place where the
sultan kept his wives isolated, constantly under the vigilant
eyes of the eunuchs and where nobody else was allowed. The Harem
was just his calm and normal home, without official receptions
or protocol, the place where he could spend time with his
family. A legend tells a story of Mohammed, who was often
visited by friends and the faithful. One day he was playing with
his grandchildren when a group of the faithful arrived to his
house and, without asking for permission came into the room
where Mohammed was playing on the floor with the children.
Neither the prophet, nor his disciples enjoyed the scene and
after that Mohammed started telling his followers that it was
important to fit out a part of the house for the exclusive use
of the family, a place visitors would not be allowed to enter.
It is perhaps due to this common mistake that these chambers
were called Harem. This area is w