CHAPTER XVIII
THE GUARDIANS OF THE SERAGLIO
A large staff of overseers, nurses, and servants is necessary for the proper conduct of a rich man's harem. The autocrat, and very frequently the tyrant, of the palace is the Chief Eunuch, who directs a number of subordinate eunuchs, and supervises the whole of the servants who attend upon the wives, ikbals, and their lord and master, the pasha.
The profession of eunuch in Egypt is a very old one. Figures of these functionaries appear on the oldest Assyrian and Egyptian monuments. The head eunuch of antiquity was a personage of great influence in the world of the seraglio; and he seems to have been, in some cases, the confidential companion of kings and nobles, as well as the custodian of the concubines.
The royal Chief Eunuch holds an exalted position in the palace. He wears a gorgeous uniform, and is seen constantly at state ceremonies and social assembles. In political affairs he possesses considerable influence. In all the aristocratic harems the Grand Eunuch is feared by the women and the servants, for their lives are practically in his hands.
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