In pre- Atatürk Turkey, a haremlik was the private portion of upper-class Ottoman homes, as opposed to the ''

selamlik The selamlik, selamlek or sélamlique ( tr, selamlık) was the portion of an Ottoman palace or house reserved for men; as contrasted with the seraglio, which is reserved for women and forbidden to men. Selamlik was also a portion of the househo ...

'', the public area or reception rooms, used only by men in traditional Islamic society. This contrasts with the common usage of

harem Harem ( Persian: حرمسرا ''haramsarā'', ar, حَرِيمٌ ''ḥarīm'', "a sacred inviolable place; harem; female members of the family") refers to domestic spaces that are reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A har ...

as an English loan-word, which implies a female-only enclave or seraglio. Although the women of the household were traditionally secluded in the haremlik, both men and women of the immediate family lived and socialized there.

Popular culture

Ann Bridge's ''Enchanter's Nightshade'' depicts Ottoman life in the period of Atatürk's rise to power, and makes clear the distinction in social usage in that period between the ''haremlik'' and ''selamlik''.

References

{{Reflist Architecture in the Ottoman Empire