This is neither a history book nor a eulogistic pamphlet, but a collection of the impressions of a governess who spent ten years of her life in Ottoman dynastic palaces. An Ottoman palace: a place where you might find mystery, passion, victory, defeat, and love altogether… The Hareem: where delicacy and passion go hand-in-hand in a society of ladies… And an observer trying to give meaning to all of these strange worlds… Safiye Ünüvar unveils the unknown secrets of the Ottoman world from the inside, rather than as an outsider. On a journey from Yıldız Palace to Dolmabahçe Palace we visit the qadis, brides, sultans’ sons and wives, all with Safiye Ünüvar’s permission.