Beshir Agha: Chief Eunuch of the Ottoman Imperial Harem(Makers of the Muslim World)

This book explores the life of el-Hajj Beshir Agha (ca. 1657-1746), the most powerful Chief Harem Eunuch in the history of the Ottoman Empire Enslaved in his native Ethiopia as a boy, then castrated in Egypt, el-Hajj Beshir became one of hundreds of East African eunuchs who inhabited the imperial palace’s enormous harem. Rising through the ranks to become harem treasurer by 1707, he eventually oversaw the educations of crown princes and harem women whilst choosing and deposing a long series of grand viziers. Wielding unparallelled power and influence over the empire, the libraries that he founded throughout the region helped to shape the religious and intellectual profile of the Ottoman state.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments Note on transliteration Introduction   1 PRELIMINARIES: ELITE SLAVERY AND HOUSEHOLD MEMBERSHIP Elite slavery in Islamic societies Household politics and patron–client ties   2 EUNUCHS IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE Eunuchs in antiquity Eunuchs in medieval Islamic empires Eunuchs under the Mamluk sultanate Eunuchs under the Ottomans   3 BESHIR AGHA’S ORIGINS Ottoman Abyssinia Enslavement and castration Post-castration conditions Sale in Cairo The political culture of Ottoman Egypt Ismail Bey   4 EARLY YEARS IN THE PALACE Sultan’s companion The sultan’s mother The “Edirne Incident” (1703) Harem treasurer   5 EXILE IN CYPRUS AND EGYPT Cyprus Egypt   6 CHIEF OF THE TOMB EUNUCHS IN MEDINA Shi‘ism Medina The mosque of the Prophet The tomb of the Prophet The tomb eunuchs Relations with Medina’s and Egypt’s notables   7 CHIEF EUNUCH OF THE TOPKAPI PALACE HAREM Return to Istanbul Return to the harem Vizier maker Nevshehirli Ibrahim Pasha The Tulip Era The Book of Festivals   8 BESHIR AGHA DURING THE REIGN OF MAHMUD I The Patrona Halil rebellion, 1730 Mahmud I (r. 1730–54)   9 BESHIR AGHA AND THE ARAB PROVINCES The pilgrimage caravan and the governorship of Damascus Beshir Agha and Egypt’s grandees   10 BESHIR AGHA’S LIBRARIES AND PIOUS FOUNDATIONS Libraries Holdings of Beshir Agha’s library outside the palace Other libraries Foundations Conclusion   11 BESHIR AGHA’S DEATH AND BURIAL Funeral and burial Beshir Agha’s tomb   12 BESHIR AGHA’S LEGACY THROUGH THE LENS OF OTTOMAN “DECLINE” Morali Beshir Agha Chief harem eunuchs and grand viziers in the post-Beshir era Beshir Agha and the question of Ottoman “decline” Conclusion   13 SOURCES ON BESHIR AGHA Primary sources Secondary sources   Works cited Index

About the Author :
Jane Hathaway is Associate Professor of Islamic and world history, Ohio State University.