Jane Hathaway | Ohio State University (original) (raw)

Papers by Jane Hathaway

Research paper thumbnail of "Eunuchs" article in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History, 2024

This article was published online on 18 June 2024. It is an overview of court eunuchs in Africa n... more This article was published online on 18 June 2024. It is an overview of court eunuchs in Africa north of the Equator from antiquity through the 19th century. The major sections are Geographical range of eunuchs within Africa; Provenances of African eunuchs; Modes of enslavement; Castration; Eunuch roles; African eunuchs outside Africa; non-African eunuchs in Africa; Abolition efforts; Discussion of the literature; [Discussion of] primary sources; Links to digital materials; and Further reading.
I cannot upload the article, but you can access it through the OREAH website. If you don't have an account with Oxford University Press, you can probably access it through your institution, either via link with the OREAH website or through your institution's library website.

Research paper thumbnail of Ottoman History Viewed from the "Periphery": Al-Isḥāqī's 1623 Chronicle of Egypt

Buyurdum ki....The Whole World of Ottomanica and Beyond: Studies in Honour of Claudia Roemer, 2023

Published in *"Buyurdum ki...." The Whole World of Ottomanica and Beyond: Studies in Honour of Cl... more Published in *"Buyurdum ki...." The Whole World of Ottomanica and Beyond: Studies in Honour of Claudia Roemer,* eds. Hulya Celik, Yavuz Kose, and Gisela Prochazka-Eisl (Brill, 2023), 313-35. [The bibliography has been corrected in the final version.]

Research paper thumbnail of Abd al-Rahman al-Jabarti (1753-1825)

History from Loss, 2023

Chapter 16 of *History from Loss: A Global Introduction to Histories Written from Defeat, Coloniz... more Chapter 16 of *History from Loss: A Global Introduction to Histories Written from Defeat, Colonization, Exile, and Imprisonment,* eds. Marnie Hughes-Warrington and Daniel Woolf (London and New York: Routledge, 2023), 120-27,

Research paper thumbnail of A Tale of Two Boils: Selim I, Melek Ahmed Pasha, and Changing Perceptions of Medical Practice and Masculinity in the Early Modern Ottoman Empire

Crafting History: Essays on the Ottoman World and Beyond in Honor of Cemal Kafadar, 2023

Co-authored with H. Erdem Cipa, published in *Crafting History: Essays on the Ottoman World and B... more Co-authored with H. Erdem Cipa, published in *Crafting History: Essays on the Ottoman World and Beyond in Honor of Cemal Kafadar,* eds. Rachel Goshgarian, Ilham Khuri-Makdisi, and Ali Yaycioglu (Academic Studies Press, 2023), 245-58.

Research paper thumbnail of Encyclopaedia of Islam Three, s.v. "Al-Nashshar, Mustafa Pasha,' by Jane Hathaway

Encyclopaedia of Islam Three, 2023

Research paper thumbnail of Lecture announcement: Ottoman Eunuchs in Pan-African Perspective

This is a Zoom lecture to the Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies on 12 December at 17... more This is a Zoom lecture to the Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies on 12 December at 17:00 Bonn time, 19:00 Istanbul time, 11:00 (a.m.) Eastern Standard Time. The talk is inspired by my recent submission of the article "Eunuchs" to the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History. It represents a synthesis of my findings on the roles of eunuchs in various early modern African states (based largely on secondary research), as well as my earlier findings, based on primary research, on the roles of African eunuchs in the Ottoman Empire and the supply of eunuchs from East Africa.

Research paper thumbnail of "Al-Jabarti, Abd al-Rahman"

Encycloapedia of Islam Three, 2022

Encyclopaedia of Islam Three, s.v. "al-Jabarti, Abd al-Rahman," by Jane Hathaway

Research paper thumbnail of The Kul Problem in Early Ottoman Egypt: Ottoman Reorganization Gone Awry

The Mamluk-Ottoman Transition II, 2022

In *The Mamluk-Ottoman Transition: Continuity and Change in Egypt and Bilad al-Sham in the 16th C... more In *The Mamluk-Ottoman Transition: Continuity and Change in Egypt and Bilad al-Sham in the 16th Century* II, eds. Stephan Conermann and Gul Sen (Bonn: Bonn University Press/V&R Unipress, 2022), 109-128.

Research paper thumbnail of Review of Turkish translation of *The Chief Eunuch of the Ottoman Empire* in Hurriyet newspaper

Hurriyet, 2022

Omer Erdem, "Osmanli Tarihinin Baska bir Cephesi," Hurriyet, Kitap Sanat, 24 June 2022, p. 8.

Research paper thumbnail of East-West Regional Antagonism as a Defining Feature of Ottoman Administration in the 17th Century

in *Dechiffrer le passe d'un empire: Hommage a Nicolas Vatin et aux humanites ottomanes,* eds. El... more in *Dechiffrer le passe d'un empire: Hommage a Nicolas Vatin et aux humanites ottomanes,* eds. Elisabetta Borromeo, Frederic Hitzel, and Benjamin Lellouch (Leuven: Peeters, 2022), 269-79

Research paper thumbnail of Turkish translation of The Chief Eunuch of the Ottoman Harem a history of the office

Darussaade Agasi: Osmanli Sarayinda Afrikali bir Guc Odagi, 2022

Announcement of the Turkish translation of my 2018 history of the office of Chief Eunuch of the O... more Announcement of the Turkish translation of my 2018 history of the office of Chief Eunuch of the Ottoman imperial Harem.

Research paper thumbnail of André Raymond (1925–2011)

International Journal of Middle East Studies, 2011

André Raymond, who passed away at his home in Aix-en-Provence on 18 February 2011, leaves an inte... more André Raymond, who passed away at his home in Aix-en-Provence on 18 February 2011, leaves an international legacy in Middle East studies. Born in 1925 in Montargis, a small town situated about seventy-five miles south of Paris, Monsieur Raymond, as he was known to his numerous students and to younger scholars in Europe, Russia, the Middle East, the Far East, and North America, taught for many years at the University of Provence and, after his retirement, in the United States.

Research paper thumbnail of An Unknown Chronicle of Ottoman Egypt and Its Historiographical Implications

Cultural Pearls of the East in Memory of Shmuel Moreh, 2021

An analysis of Anonymous, *Akhbar al-nuwwab fi dawlat Al 'Uthman,* in *Cultural Pearls from the E... more An analysis of Anonymous, *Akhbar al-nuwwab fi dawlat Al 'Uthman,* in *Cultural Pearls from the East in Memory of Shmuel Moreh (1932-2017), eds. Meir Hatina and Yona Sheffer (Leiden: Brill, 2021), 247-63

Research paper thumbnail of Turkiye newspaper article concerning a new translation of Beshir Agha (Click on "1 File" for the link.)

Turkiye Gazetesi, 2021

Turkiye newspaper recently (30 June 2021) published an article on a new translation of my 2006 br... more Turkiye newspaper recently (30 June 2021) published an article on a new translation of my 2006 brief biography of el-Hajj Beshir Agha. The translation was published by Vakifbank Kultur Yayinlari. This is the short bio of Beshir Agha, NOT The Chief Eunuch of the Ottoman Harem: From African Slave to Power-Broker, the comprehensive study of the office of Chief Harem Eunuch from ca. 1574-1909, published by Cambridge in 2018.

Here is a link to the article: https://www.turkiyegazetesi.com.tr/kultursanat/794928.aspx.
Or click "1 File" at the top of the page.

N.B.: The reporter sent me a number of questions in Turkish, which I answered in Turkish. He summarized several of my answers in the article, correcting some of my grammar and usage. In the photo, ironically, I am pictured holding my 2018 book The Chief Eunuch of the Ottoman Harem.

Research paper thumbnail of Milliyet newspaper article concerning a new translation of Beshir Agha (Click on "1 File" for the link.)

Milliyet Gazetesi, 2021

Milliyet newspaper recently (20 June 2021) published an article on a new translation of my 2006 b... more Milliyet newspaper recently (20 June 2021) published an article on a new translation of my 2006 brief biography of el-Hajj Beshir Agha. The translation was published by Vakifbank Kultur Yayinlari. This is the short bio of Beshir Agha, NOT The Chief Eunuch of the Ottoman Harem: From African Slave to Power-Broker, the comprehensive study of the office of Chief Harem Eunuch from ca. 1574-1909, published by Cambridge in 2018.

Here is a link to the article: https://www.milliyet.com.tr/kultur-sanat/hadim-agasinin-zengin-kutuphanesi-6535016.
Or click on "1 File" at the top of the page.

N.B.: I supplied the reporter with a statement in Turkish. She corrected some of my grammar and usage. In the photo, ironically, I am pictured with a copy of my 2018 book The Chief Eunuch of the Ottoman Harem.

Research paper thumbnail of Zoom lecture "Revelations from the Cairo Geniza on the Ottoman Era in Egypt"

Interdisciplinary and Islamic Studies Series, Global Islamic Studies Center, University of Michig... more Interdisciplinary and Islamic Studies Series, Global Islamic Studies Center, University of Michigan
Friday, 5 March, 1:00 p.m. Eastern time

After some introductory remarks on the Ottoman-era Geniza, this talk will focus on an inheritance case in 16th-century Damietta.

Register at this link:
https://ii.umich.edu/islamicstudies/news-events/events.detail.html/82006-21004773.html

Research paper thumbnail of Zoom webinar: The Cairo Geniza as a Source for Ottoman History?

Research paper thumbnail of "Mamluk," Encyclopaedia of Islam Three

Encyclopaedia of Islam Three, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of "Mahmud Pasa," Encyclopaedia of Islam Three

Encyclopaedia of Islam Three, 2021

Mahmud (Mamd) Paa (d. 975/ 1567) was an Ottoman statesman who served as governor of Yemen (968... more Mahmud (Mamd) Paa (d. 975/ 1567) was an Ottoman statesman who served as governor of Yemen (968-72/1561-5) and Egypt (972-5/1565-7). A Bosnian, he was not trained in the imperial palace but launched his career in the Arab provinces, serving the governor of Damascus before entering the service of Davud (Dd) Paa (d. 956/1549), governor of Egypt from 945-56/1538-49. Davud appointed him amr al-ajj (pilgrimage commander) of Egypt for 957-8/1550-1; a later governor made him a sancakbeyi (sancaqbei).

Research paper thumbnail of A Preliminary User's Guide to the "Early Modern" Tool in Ottomanist Scholarship

Journal of the Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association, 2020

Journal of the Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association 7, 1 (2020): 41-44

Research paper thumbnail of "Eunuchs" article in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History, 2024

This article was published online on 18 June 2024. It is an overview of court eunuchs in Africa n... more This article was published online on 18 June 2024. It is an overview of court eunuchs in Africa north of the Equator from antiquity through the 19th century. The major sections are Geographical range of eunuchs within Africa; Provenances of African eunuchs; Modes of enslavement; Castration; Eunuch roles; African eunuchs outside Africa; non-African eunuchs in Africa; Abolition efforts; Discussion of the literature; [Discussion of] primary sources; Links to digital materials; and Further reading.
I cannot upload the article, but you can access it through the OREAH website. If you don't have an account with Oxford University Press, you can probably access it through your institution, either via link with the OREAH website or through your institution's library website.

Research paper thumbnail of Ottoman History Viewed from the "Periphery": Al-Isḥāqī's 1623 Chronicle of Egypt

Buyurdum ki....The Whole World of Ottomanica and Beyond: Studies in Honour of Claudia Roemer, 2023

Published in *"Buyurdum ki...." The Whole World of Ottomanica and Beyond: Studies in Honour of Cl... more Published in *"Buyurdum ki...." The Whole World of Ottomanica and Beyond: Studies in Honour of Claudia Roemer,* eds. Hulya Celik, Yavuz Kose, and Gisela Prochazka-Eisl (Brill, 2023), 313-35. [The bibliography has been corrected in the final version.]

Research paper thumbnail of Abd al-Rahman al-Jabarti (1753-1825)

History from Loss, 2023

Chapter 16 of *History from Loss: A Global Introduction to Histories Written from Defeat, Coloniz... more Chapter 16 of *History from Loss: A Global Introduction to Histories Written from Defeat, Colonization, Exile, and Imprisonment,* eds. Marnie Hughes-Warrington and Daniel Woolf (London and New York: Routledge, 2023), 120-27,

Research paper thumbnail of A Tale of Two Boils: Selim I, Melek Ahmed Pasha, and Changing Perceptions of Medical Practice and Masculinity in the Early Modern Ottoman Empire

Crafting History: Essays on the Ottoman World and Beyond in Honor of Cemal Kafadar, 2023

Co-authored with H. Erdem Cipa, published in *Crafting History: Essays on the Ottoman World and B... more Co-authored with H. Erdem Cipa, published in *Crafting History: Essays on the Ottoman World and Beyond in Honor of Cemal Kafadar,* eds. Rachel Goshgarian, Ilham Khuri-Makdisi, and Ali Yaycioglu (Academic Studies Press, 2023), 245-58.

Research paper thumbnail of Encyclopaedia of Islam Three, s.v. "Al-Nashshar, Mustafa Pasha,' by Jane Hathaway

Encyclopaedia of Islam Three, 2023

Research paper thumbnail of Lecture announcement: Ottoman Eunuchs in Pan-African Perspective

This is a Zoom lecture to the Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies on 12 December at 17... more This is a Zoom lecture to the Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies on 12 December at 17:00 Bonn time, 19:00 Istanbul time, 11:00 (a.m.) Eastern Standard Time. The talk is inspired by my recent submission of the article "Eunuchs" to the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History. It represents a synthesis of my findings on the roles of eunuchs in various early modern African states (based largely on secondary research), as well as my earlier findings, based on primary research, on the roles of African eunuchs in the Ottoman Empire and the supply of eunuchs from East Africa.

Research paper thumbnail of "Al-Jabarti, Abd al-Rahman"

Encycloapedia of Islam Three, 2022

Encyclopaedia of Islam Three, s.v. "al-Jabarti, Abd al-Rahman," by Jane Hathaway

Research paper thumbnail of The Kul Problem in Early Ottoman Egypt: Ottoman Reorganization Gone Awry

The Mamluk-Ottoman Transition II, 2022

In *The Mamluk-Ottoman Transition: Continuity and Change in Egypt and Bilad al-Sham in the 16th C... more In *The Mamluk-Ottoman Transition: Continuity and Change in Egypt and Bilad al-Sham in the 16th Century* II, eds. Stephan Conermann and Gul Sen (Bonn: Bonn University Press/V&R Unipress, 2022), 109-128.

Research paper thumbnail of Review of Turkish translation of *The Chief Eunuch of the Ottoman Empire* in Hurriyet newspaper

Hurriyet, 2022

Omer Erdem, "Osmanli Tarihinin Baska bir Cephesi," Hurriyet, Kitap Sanat, 24 June 2022, p. 8.

Research paper thumbnail of East-West Regional Antagonism as a Defining Feature of Ottoman Administration in the 17th Century

in *Dechiffrer le passe d'un empire: Hommage a Nicolas Vatin et aux humanites ottomanes,* eds. El... more in *Dechiffrer le passe d'un empire: Hommage a Nicolas Vatin et aux humanites ottomanes,* eds. Elisabetta Borromeo, Frederic Hitzel, and Benjamin Lellouch (Leuven: Peeters, 2022), 269-79

Research paper thumbnail of Turkish translation of The Chief Eunuch of the Ottoman Harem a history of the office

Darussaade Agasi: Osmanli Sarayinda Afrikali bir Guc Odagi, 2022

Announcement of the Turkish translation of my 2018 history of the office of Chief Eunuch of the O... more Announcement of the Turkish translation of my 2018 history of the office of Chief Eunuch of the Ottoman imperial Harem.

Research paper thumbnail of André Raymond (1925–2011)

International Journal of Middle East Studies, 2011

André Raymond, who passed away at his home in Aix-en-Provence on 18 February 2011, leaves an inte... more André Raymond, who passed away at his home in Aix-en-Provence on 18 February 2011, leaves an international legacy in Middle East studies. Born in 1925 in Montargis, a small town situated about seventy-five miles south of Paris, Monsieur Raymond, as he was known to his numerous students and to younger scholars in Europe, Russia, the Middle East, the Far East, and North America, taught for many years at the University of Provence and, after his retirement, in the United States.

Research paper thumbnail of An Unknown Chronicle of Ottoman Egypt and Its Historiographical Implications

Cultural Pearls of the East in Memory of Shmuel Moreh, 2021

An analysis of Anonymous, *Akhbar al-nuwwab fi dawlat Al 'Uthman,* in *Cultural Pearls from the E... more An analysis of Anonymous, *Akhbar al-nuwwab fi dawlat Al 'Uthman,* in *Cultural Pearls from the East in Memory of Shmuel Moreh (1932-2017), eds. Meir Hatina and Yona Sheffer (Leiden: Brill, 2021), 247-63

Research paper thumbnail of Turkiye newspaper article concerning a new translation of Beshir Agha (Click on "1 File" for the link.)

Turkiye Gazetesi, 2021

Turkiye newspaper recently (30 June 2021) published an article on a new translation of my 2006 br... more Turkiye newspaper recently (30 June 2021) published an article on a new translation of my 2006 brief biography of el-Hajj Beshir Agha. The translation was published by Vakifbank Kultur Yayinlari. This is the short bio of Beshir Agha, NOT The Chief Eunuch of the Ottoman Harem: From African Slave to Power-Broker, the comprehensive study of the office of Chief Harem Eunuch from ca. 1574-1909, published by Cambridge in 2018.

Here is a link to the article: https://www.turkiyegazetesi.com.tr/kultursanat/794928.aspx.
Or click "1 File" at the top of the page.

N.B.: The reporter sent me a number of questions in Turkish, which I answered in Turkish. He summarized several of my answers in the article, correcting some of my grammar and usage. In the photo, ironically, I am pictured holding my 2018 book The Chief Eunuch of the Ottoman Harem.

Research paper thumbnail of Milliyet newspaper article concerning a new translation of Beshir Agha (Click on "1 File" for the link.)

Milliyet Gazetesi, 2021

Milliyet newspaper recently (20 June 2021) published an article on a new translation of my 2006 b... more Milliyet newspaper recently (20 June 2021) published an article on a new translation of my 2006 brief biography of el-Hajj Beshir Agha. The translation was published by Vakifbank Kultur Yayinlari. This is the short bio of Beshir Agha, NOT The Chief Eunuch of the Ottoman Harem: From African Slave to Power-Broker, the comprehensive study of the office of Chief Harem Eunuch from ca. 1574-1909, published by Cambridge in 2018.

Here is a link to the article: https://www.milliyet.com.tr/kultur-sanat/hadim-agasinin-zengin-kutuphanesi-6535016.
Or click on "1 File" at the top of the page.

N.B.: I supplied the reporter with a statement in Turkish. She corrected some of my grammar and usage. In the photo, ironically, I am pictured with a copy of my 2018 book The Chief Eunuch of the Ottoman Harem.

Research paper thumbnail of Zoom lecture "Revelations from the Cairo Geniza on the Ottoman Era in Egypt"

Interdisciplinary and Islamic Studies Series, Global Islamic Studies Center, University of Michig... more Interdisciplinary and Islamic Studies Series, Global Islamic Studies Center, University of Michigan
Friday, 5 March, 1:00 p.m. Eastern time

After some introductory remarks on the Ottoman-era Geniza, this talk will focus on an inheritance case in 16th-century Damietta.

Register at this link:
https://ii.umich.edu/islamicstudies/news-events/events.detail.html/82006-21004773.html

Research paper thumbnail of Zoom webinar: The Cairo Geniza as a Source for Ottoman History?

Research paper thumbnail of "Mamluk," Encyclopaedia of Islam Three

Encyclopaedia of Islam Three, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of "Mahmud Pasa," Encyclopaedia of Islam Three

Encyclopaedia of Islam Three, 2021

Mahmud (Mamd) Paa (d. 975/ 1567) was an Ottoman statesman who served as governor of Yemen (968... more Mahmud (Mamd) Paa (d. 975/ 1567) was an Ottoman statesman who served as governor of Yemen (968-72/1561-5) and Egypt (972-5/1565-7). A Bosnian, he was not trained in the imperial palace but launched his career in the Arab provinces, serving the governor of Damascus before entering the service of Davud (Dd) Paa (d. 956/1549), governor of Egypt from 945-56/1538-49. Davud appointed him amr al-ajj (pilgrimage commander) of Egypt for 957-8/1550-1; a later governor made him a sancakbeyi (sancaqbei).

Research paper thumbnail of A Preliminary User's Guide to the "Early Modern" Tool in Ottomanist Scholarship

Journal of the Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association, 2020

Journal of the Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association 7, 1 (2020): 41-44

Research paper thumbnail of Review of M'hamed Oualdi, *A Slave Between Empires: A Transimperial History of North Africa*

Journal of Islamic Studies, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Review of Gilles Veinstein, *Les esclaves du Sultan chez les Ottomans*

International Journal of Middle East Studies, 2021

Jane Hathaway, Review of Gilles Veinstein, *Les esclaves du Sultan chez les Ottomans: Des mamelou... more Jane Hathaway, Review of Gilles Veinstein, *Les esclaves du Sultan chez les Ottomans: Des mamelouks aux janissaires (XIV-XVII siecles) - Deux ans de cours au College de France,* International Journal of Middle East Studies 53, 1 (2021)

Research paper thumbnail of Review of NIcolas Michel, *L'Egypte des villages autour du seizieme siecle*

Archivum Ottomanicum, 2020

Review of Nicolas Michel, *L'Egypte des villages autour du seizieme siecle,* Archivum Ottomanicum... more Review of Nicolas Michel, *L'Egypte des villages autour du seizieme siecle,* Archivum Ottomanicum 37 (2020): 297-301

Research paper thumbnail of Review of Larry Wolff, *The Singing Turk: Ottoman Power and Operatic Emotions on the European Stage from the Siege of Vienna to the Age of Napoleon*

*Canadian Journal of History* 53, 1 (2018): 165-66

Research paper thumbnail of Review of George Junne, *The Black Eunuchs of the Ottoman Empire*

Journal of the American Oriental Society 138, 2 (2018): 450

Research paper thumbnail of Review of Nelly Hanna, Ottoman Egypt and the Emergence of the Modern World, 1500-1800 (Cairo: American University of Cairo Press, 2014)

Journal of Global History 12/3 (2017): 433-34

Research paper thumbnail of Review of Michael Nizri, Ottoman High Politics and the Ulema Household (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014)

International Journal of Turkish Studies 22/1-2 (2016): 130-33

Research paper thumbnail of Review of Lawrence Baack, Undying Curiosity: Carsten Niebuhr and the Royal Danish Expedition to Arabia (1761-1767) (Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag, 2014)

American Historical Review 121/1 (2016): 206-07.

Research paper thumbnail of Review of Bruce Masters, The Arabs of the Ottoman Empire, 1516-1918: A Social and Cultural History (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2013)

International Journal of Middle East Studies 46 (2014): 828-30

Research paper thumbnail of Review of Baki Tezcan, The Second Ottoman Empire: Political and Social Transformation in the Early Modern World (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010)

Journal of World History 23/1 (2012): 177-80, Mar 2012

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Research paper thumbnail of Review of Benjamin Lellouch and Nicolas Michel, eds., Conquete ottomane de l'Egypte (Leiden: Brill, 2013)

Mediterranean Historical Review 28/2 (2013): 243-45

Research paper thumbnail of The Sultan's Eunuch (with Jane Hathaway)

Ottoman History Podcast, 2018

For more than three centuries, a cadre of African eunuchs were responsible for guarding the Ottom... more For more than three centuries, a cadre of African eunuchs were responsible for guarding the Ottoman harem at the imperial palace in Istanbul. The head of this group, the Chief Harem Eunuch, emerged as an extremely influential individual at the court. This was especially true during the crisis years of the long seventeenth century, when the palace became divided along ever-shifting lines of political factions. In this episode, we trace the long trajectory of the office of Chief Harem Eunuch, from its establishment—coinciding with the sultan’s decision to begin residing full-time in the harem—until the ultimate demise of the empire. In particular, we highlight the high degree of mobility for these eunuchs, beginning with their initial journey from Ethiopia to the shores of the Bosphorus, and later on using their position to maintain strong ties to Cairo as well as the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina. A liminal figure in every sense of the word—in terms of gender, race, and his duties at the court—the Chief Harem Eunuch offers unique insights into the nature of political life at the Ottoman palace.