u/qernanded

A pair of Turkish ladies, painted in Italy – inscribed ‘Turca per Casa’ and ‘Cortigiana Turca’ – 18th century - from a past Sotheby's auction

The visual depiction of the following account is in this (otherwise quite outdated but very interesting) documentary at the 3:08 - 4:08 mark.

A 1599 account by an English technician, Thomas Dallam recalled the sight of thirty concubines that he spied (through a grate of very thick harem walls grated on both sides with iron very strongly) while they were playing with a ball:

Anyways, I have translated this account into Modern English:

>“Then he [likely one of the black eunuchs, Kizlar Ağa?] showed me many other things which I wondered at, then crossing through a little square court paved with marble, he pointed me to go to a grate in a wall, but made me a sign that he might not go thither himself.

>When I came to the grate the wall was very thick, and grated on both the sides with iron very strongly; but through that grate I did see thirty of the Grand Signior's concubines that were playing with a ball in another court.

>At the first sight of them I thought they had been young men, but when I saw the hair of their heads hang down on their backs, plaited together with a tassel of small pearl hanging in the lower end of it, and by other plain tokens, I did know them to be women, and very pretty ones indeed.

>They wore upon their heads nothing but a little cap of cloth of gold, which only covered the crown of their heads, no bands about their necks, nor anything but fair chains of pearls and a jewel hanging on their breasts and jewels on their ears;

>Their coats were like a soldier’s mandilion [a buttoned cloak], some of red satin and some of blue, and some of other colours, and girded like a lace of contrasting colours; they wore breeches [i.e., trousers or pants] of [scamatie, wool essentially], fine cloth made of cotton wool, as white as snow and as fine as muslin, for I could discern the skin of their thighs through it.

>These breeches came down to their midleg; some of them did wear fine cordovan buskins, and some had their legs naked, with a gold ring on the small of their leg; on their foot a velvet pantoble [shoe] 4 or 5 inches high.

>I stood so long looking upon them that he who had showed me all this kindness began to be very angry with me. He made a wry mouth, and stamped with his foot to make me stop looking; I had loathed to bow, for that sight did please me wondrously well.

>Then I went away with this Jemoglane to the place where we left my dragoman or interpreter, and I told my interpreter that I had seen 30 of the Grand Signor's concubines; but my interpreter advised me that by no means I should speak of it, whereby any Turk might hear of it; for if it were known to some Turks, it would present death to him that showed them to me. He dared not look upon them himself.

>Although I looked so long upon them, they did not see me, nor all that while looked towards that place. If they had seen me, they would all have come presently thither to look upon me, and have wondered as much at me, or how I came thither, as I did to see them.”

On his birthday today, April 27, I write this short post as an Egyptian.

Ulysses S. Grant, the eighteenth president of the United States of America, arrived in the city of Alexandria on January 5, 1878, becoming the first former U.S. president to visit Egypt as part of an extensive world tour.

Ulysses S. Grant was one of the most prominent military leaders in the history of the United States, having led the Union forces during the American Civil War and achieved decisive victories that helped end the war. In 1868, he was elected president of the United States and was reelected for a second term, with his presidency lasting until 1877.

Shortly after the end of his second term, Grant decided to embark on a long world tour that lasted about two and a half years (1877–1879). Though not official in the diplomatic sense, the tour gained great political significance due to his international stature. The journey aimed to explore the world and foster friendly relations between the United States and other nations. Throughout the tour, he received widespread official and popular receptions in most of the countries he visited.

He was accompanied on this tour by his wife, Julia Grant, and their son Jesse, who was then in his late teens. The tour began in Britain, where he was received with great warmth, and then continued to several European countries, including Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and France. He also visited Scotland, the land of his ancestors. Afterward, he headed to the Mediterranean region, visiting Malta before continuing his journey to Egypt.

Grant arrived in Alexandria aboard the U.S. warship Vandalia, where he was greeted by local officials and representatives of the government of Ismael Pasha, the Khedive of Egypt. His visit attracted considerable attention, and some saw him as a symbol of the rising power of the United States at the time.

Arranged by Khedive Ismael, a private Nile steamer was placed at Grant's disposal, designed to enable him to take a comfortable journey along the Nile River. In January 1878, Grant, his wife, and their son began their Nile journey, sailing south toward Upper Egypt in what became one of the most exciting and admirable stages of their tour.

During their stay in Egypt, the Grants visited several prominent historical landmarks, including the Pyramids of Giza, the markets of Cairo, and the Pharaonic temples of Luxor and Karnak. Grant showed great interest in ancient Egyptian civilization and expressed in his correspondence his admiration for the depth of Egyptian history and the grandeur of its monuments, noting that Egypt was one of the most fascinating stops on his journey.

In her memoirs, Julia Grant described their visit to the ruins of Luxor and Karnak, noting the enormity of the buildings and the splendor of the inscriptions and statues. She wrote that the halls were vast in scale, and that the colossal statues seemed to bear witness to distant ages of history. She also described the avenue leading to the Karnak Temple, lined on both sides with sphinx statues, and the awe-inspiring impression that scene left on them.

The family also enjoyed the social experience in Egypt, interacting with local residents and observing daily ways of life. Among the amusing anecdotes Julia related was the admiration of an Egyptian child for their son Jesse; the child stayed close to him and attached to him throughout the visit, a scene reflecting the simplicity of human relations despite cultural differences.

However, Grant's observations were not without a critical perspective. He noted the social disparities and the difficult living conditions some of the poor in Egypt endured at the time, reflecting his realistic sensibility alongside his cultural admiration.

Grant's stay in Egypt lasted about a month, from early January to early February 1878, and it was among the most notable stops of his world tour. He later mentioned that the days he spent sailing on the Nile were among the happiest and most beautiful of his life.

On February 9, Grant left Egypt heading for the Holy Land, as part of continuing his journey in the East. The following year, he passed through Egypt again, arriving in Alexandria from Europe, then traveled overland to Suez, where he boarded a steamer of the British shipping company P&O bound for India, as part of continuing his journey toward Asia, which later included China and Japan.