The word 'harem' which comes from the Arabic word "haram' having the meaning of 'forbidden by religion' is the word describing the place where the sultan and his family live. Harem, which is a worldly application of heaven full of beauties that is promised to religious men by Islam, was an inseparable pan of the Ottoman Dynasty since it was founded. After Topkapi Palace was constructed, all the government moved to this new palace, however, families of the sultans continued to live in the ancient palace İn Bayezid for nearly 80 years. During the reign of Kanuni Sultan Süleyman, the sultan's family was moved to wooden buildings constructed in Topkapi Palace due to the pressure of Hürrem Sultan, second wife of the sultan, after a fire took place in the ancient palace. Then the influence ot the harem and sultan's wives living neve began to increase over the government and the sultan. 
Many new buildings were constructed instead of the wooden buildings that  were completely destroyed during the big fire took place in 1666, and so a  complex of buildings consisting nearly 300 rooms, only small pan of which is  open to visits, appeared. All the buildings we see today were constructed in 16th and 18th centuries. In order to visit the Harem, which was first opened to   visits in 1971, one should buy a ticket from the ticket office in the second  courtyard and participate the tours which are held in every 30 minutes with local guides providing service in various languages. The tour begins from  the exit door of the Harem which was once used for chariots. Harem was isolated from the outside world, and entrance was a privilege allowed for only the closest relatives of the sultan and people working here. In some certain days, men only from three profession groups had the permission to enter definite rooms of the Harem. These were the doctors who came to control patients, teachers of princes and musicians who were called at the ceremonies. Non-Moslems were certainly not allowed, Other than the sultan's wives and mother, also brothers and children who  were prepared for the throne or who were kept at a distance from the throne and those women and men, who served for this big family, used to stay in the Harem. While some sultans were having intercourse with only four women as it is allowed in Islam, some had hundreds of women in the harem. For instance, it is said that there were nearly 1200 women in the harem of Murat III, the first sultan who spent all his time with women' ignoring the state works. 'Concubines' in charge of serving the sultan in the Harem were young girls who were brought from the conquered countries.
They were subject to a rough trainee in the palace after changing their names and converting religions. Those who had children from the sultan after having an intercourse with him were taken to special rooms in the harem. Others would either kept on living there and serve the imperial family by taking another duty in the harem, or by set marriages get married to a high level civil servant.
Almost all women living in the harem including wives of the sultan and the servants were either enslaved, or bought from slave merchants, or presented to the sultan and later became Moslems. These women of distinguished beauty, taken to Istanbul from all parts of the world, were very close to the sultan and gave him children, however, they were not always faithful to the sultan and the Ottoman Dynasty since they had a glittering prison life. These women, who were sentenced to live in the Harem and whose families had been enslaved or killed by the Ottomans, sometimes had not spared to undertake the leading roles in the intrigues against the sultan. In spite of the magnificent image of the palace, the women here were actually living in a competitive atmosphere. Since sultanate passes from father to the elder son in the Ottoman Dynasty, aim of all concubines was giving birth to the first son of the sultan and so becoming 'haseki' (favorite wife) of the sultan. That was the only way of guaranteeing their future. On the other hand, it was not sufficient to be the mother of the first son, as this son had to stay alive until the sultan dies. Some concubines would sometimes try to kill other sons in order to make hers ascend the throne. Also, there were bickers between the favorites of the sultan and his mother (queen mother), who was the absolute master of Harem and second important person after the sultan regarding influencing the empire administration. The Queen Mother was the absolute master of Harem and had nearly 40 rooms and several servants for herself.
Except for nearly 300 rooms, there were 46 toilets, 8 Turkish baths, 4 small kitchens, 2 mosques, 6 pantries, a swimming pool and a hospital in the Harem which was built on a total area of 6.700 m2. The Harem is usually composed of 3 large courtyards and rooms surrounding them. These rooms belonged to the Queen Mother, wives of the sultan and the crown prince, to the concubines and to 'Black Eunuchs' responsible for protecting the harem. Black Eunuchs were very strong black men who were taken captive during the wars in Africa as slaves or bought from slave merchants. There were about forty of them living in the Harem and they had duties demanding man power.

Chief Black Eunuch was the third most important person after the sultan and Queen Mother. During the tour with a local guide in the Harem, visitors may see everything at a close range: rooms of the black eunuchs, the tiled courtyard, the school of the Crown Prince, courtyard of the sultan's wives apartments and the rooms surrounding, embroidered bed of the Queen Mother, dinner and divine service rooms, marble Turkish bath of the sultan who preferred it because of security, bedroom of Sultan Abdulhamit who reigned in the 18th century, splendid throne room of Murat III who reigned in the 16th century, elegant library of the sultan Ahmet I, dining room of Ahmet III (the walls of this room which is called Yemiş Odası' are decorated with the most beautiful floral motifs), small rooms in which sultan's brothers lived for years and 'the golden way' of 46 m. where met the sultan and his concubines.
Although the exit of the Harem is in the 3rd courtyard, let us observe the second courtyard more before the third one and give some short information about a few buildings in this courtyard. The building just beside the entrance door of the Harem is called KUBBEALTI (The Dome), the administration center of the Ottoman Empire. The viziers, who got together and chaired by the grand vizier. (s4)