From around the advent of Islam in the 7th Century the Mediterranean became divided into a Christian north and a Moslem south. From that time forth the ensuing wars called the Crusades struggled to regain Christianity and had the effect of both widening cultural differences and maintaining contact between Europe and the countries south and east of the Mediterranean. 

By the dawn of the 17th Century the Middle East and North Africa were divided between 2 major empires. To the East in central Asia lay the Safavid empire of Persia. To the west and north lay the Ottoman empire of Turkey. 

The Ottoman dynasty was the longest lasting dynasty in the world - 641 years. The Ottoman Sultans had been Caliph of the Islamic world for 407 years; from 1516 when Selim Khan obtained the title, to the end in 1924. However, as both the Caliphacy and the sultanate ceased to function at times, it could be said that the Ottoman Caliphacy continued for 393 years, finishing at the point in time when Sultan Abdulhamid was dethroned. He had been the 98th Caliph (beginning with His Exalted Highness Abu Bakr).

By the end of the 16th Century the Ottoman Empire spanned much of Eastern Europe, the eastern Mediterranean, Egypt and the rest of North Africa, encompassing the major holy cities of Islam, Mecca and Medina and even an attempt was made to capture the city of Vienna. 

This era also marked a high point of Ottoman architecture, as the great architect Sinan designed spectacular mosques and other buildings. Today, Suleyman's mosque, which was designed by Sinan, remains one of the more fascinating tourist attractions in Istanbul.

By the time the 17th century began, the Ottoman empire had reached its high point, and was slowly beginning to decline. Armies from the Austrian empire to the west and the Russian empire to the northeast nibbled along the edges. 

The 2 Balkan wars in the 20th Century finally finished off the Ottoman Empire and on Oct. 29, 1923, Turkey became a republic and elected Mustafa Kemal as first president. The caliphate was abolished on March 3, 1924, and all members of the Ottoman dynasty were expelled from Turkey. A full republican constitution was adopted on April 20, 1924; it retained Islam as the state religion, but in April 1928 this clause was removed and Turkey became a purely secular republic.

The following extract gives an idea of some of the values and norms the Ottoman Empire left in its wake. 

The Sultan's palaces were called Saray-i Humayoun, the Palace of Topkapi being constructed on a plot of 700 acres and housing 40,000 people. Other famous palaces were the Imperial Palace of Edirne, Dolmabahche Palace and the Yildiz Palace. For over 405 years, from July 25th, 1518 until March 3rd, 1924, the Holy Qur'an was perpetually recited, day and night, in the Department of Mohammed's Cloak in the Topkapi Palace. The women of the palace lived in the Haram. The palace kitchen was called Matbakh Amire.

"Ottomans are extremely obedient to the principles of morality, honesty and honour, as mentioned in the Holy Qur'an. Social relations and orderliness among them depend on sincerity and compassion. They do not find it necessary to make written contracts between themselves as do people in other countries. Good will and a person's word solve every problem - Ottoman Turks are captives of their promises. They act this way not only to their compatriots but also to foreigners, regardless of their religion. It makes no difference whether people are Muslims or any other religion in respect of keeping their promises and they regard illegal profit as dishonest and against their religion. They sincerely believe that any fortune acquired this way makes one unhappy both in this world and the next."

Marco Polo said that Turkish women were the most chaste and decent in the world and Vembery stated that there were no words such as Fahishe (whore) and Pich (illegitimate child) in the old Turkish language. Such words had been taken from the Persian language.

Self esteem and haughtiness are regarded as characteristics of the Devil and a great statesman who is inordinately proud shows that he is not worthy of his position. In Ottoman ceremonies or processions officials shouted at the Sultan and all of the high officials "Never be proud of yourself. Allah is the only one to be glorified".

Respect for older people who have achieved high position, has been an unchanging Turkish tradition. Parents are to be respected, as are elder sisters and brothers. An elder brother has always been called Aghabei while an elder sister is given the name Abla and it is an insult to call them anything else. No older person is ever called by his or her actual name in Turkey.

Anyone who dies without carrying out a charitable deed was regarded as less than human, and as such, great many mosques (Masajid), fountains and all sorts of architectural works can be found - not counting military establishments - having been built as works of philanthropy during the Imperial era.

Turks are dignified, serious, sedate and humble. They hate noise and are never rowdy or boisterous. They like peace and tranquility, rarely reveal their emotions and regard boasting as shameful. Culture is essential to the Turk, as are courtesy and respect of womanhood.

(from "The Civiliation of the Ottomans" by Yilmaz Oztuna)

The Ottoman Empire firmly entrenched Islam as the pervading religion. Officially the Religion did not approve of dance and music. So of course accounts of what dance did take place would have been subject to the closest censorship in the sense that Islamic Scholars would not be able to write about anything that is not approved of. These would have been our main source of information. So we are left with odd bits of accounts here and there such as: 

On March 6, 1850, the Damascus-born dancer-courtesan Kuchek Hanem entertained Gustave Flaubert at her house in Esna. He praised her lovemaking but found her dancing "brutal ... far less good than Hassan el-Belbeissi, a male dancer in Cairo." 

According to one account I read "So many dancers crossed the line into prostitution that in 1834 Mohammed Ali, Egypt's Ottoman ruler, exiled them from the capital to towns in Upper Egypt, where they became as much a tourist attraction as Pharoanic temples. "

But one thing I think is certain, plenty of dancing happened in the Harems but not maybe the sort you may be thinking of. I shall talk about the Harems in the next chapter.