The Harem

There is significant contestability and scholarly debate about the purpose of the building at Persepolis known today as the "harem."

Key points of contestability include:

• Origin of the "harem" label: The name "harem" is a modern convention, influenced by later Ottoman and Islamic concepts of large, secluded women's quarters. Ancient Achaemenid sources do not use this term, and the historical reality of a vast royal harem as depicted in Greek or later Persian sources is questioned by many modern scholars.

• Lack of personal artifacts and direct evidence: Archaeological excavations of the "harem" or Queen's Quarters have produced no definitive evidence—such as plentiful personal items or inscriptions—proving that a large number of royal women or concubines resided there. The Persepolis Fortification Tablets suggest that Achaemenid kings had a limited number of wives, not hundreds or thousands, as sometimes claimed in classical sources.

• Alternative theories for the building's function:

  • Some scholars argue the complex could have served administrative or storage purposes, or possibly accommodated deputations from subject nations, given its numerous similar rooms.

  • Others think the layout and privacy suggest a residential function for the queen and her household.

  • There is also the idea that its proximity to the Hadish (private palace of Xerxes) and its architectural style support the identification as quarters for royal women, though not necessarily a "harem" in the populist sense.

• Scholarly divisions: Some experts defend the traditional identification as a royal women's residence based on architectural layout and analogies with later palatial structures, while others argue the term "harem" is misleading and kindled by orientalist and Greek literary traditions rather than factual Achaemenid records.

• Summary: The "harem" at Persepolis could have served as the residence for royal women, possibly the queen and her close staff, or had other administrative/storage roles. The true function remains a subject of ongoing scholarly debate and reinterpretation, and the term "harem" is best used with caution due to its modern and unproven connotations.

XPf ("Harem Inscription") from Persepolis is as follows:  

“Darius had other sons, but – thus was Ahuramazda’s desire – my father Darius made me the greatest after himself. When my father Darius went away from the throne, by the grace of Ahuramazda I became king on my father’s throne. When I became king, I did much that was excellent. What had been built by my father, I protected, and I added other buildings. What I built, and what my father built, all that by the grace of Ahuramazda we built.” 

Features: ·      

 L-shaped form

·       Main wing was north-south with a centrally planned columned hall with a portico facing a spacious courtyard.

·       Central quarters were most impressive – for the Queen?

·       Main wing had six apartments; each one had a large, pillared room and 1-2 smaller rooms.

·       Stairways connected it to the Palace of Xerxes.

·       Exits to enclosed gardens and courtyards.

Reliefs and Inscriptions

·       Reliefs of royal warriors/the king fighting lions

·       Reliefs depicting Xerxes entering the hall with attendants with a fly whisk and parasol.

Harem inscription (XPf) – Mentions how Xerxes overcame rivals to the throne and Darius chose him to be heir. 

Purpose;

·       Where the royal ladies lived? Contestable

·       Private space, more of a residential area, possibly where foreign visitors were temporarily housed

Resting, dining and chatting in the courtyards. 

Ideological - Inscription asserts the legitimacy of Xerxes as the next heir (chosen by Darius)