A Persian word, which signifies the palace of a prince or lord; in which reside the houses of the ambassadors of England, France, &c. are, at Constantinople, called their seraglios. But the term seraglio is used, by way of eminence, for the palace of the grand seignor at Constantinople, where he keeps his court, in which his concubines are lodged, and where the youth are trained up for the principal posts of the empire. It is in form of a triangle, about two miles round, at the end of the promontory Chrysoceiras, now called the Seraglio-point: the buildings extend to the top of the hill, and from thence there are gardens that reach to the sea. The outward appearance is not very beautiful, the architecture being irregular, consisting of separate edifices, in the manner of pavilions and domes. The old seraglio is the palace where the grand seignor's old mistresses are kept.

The ladies of the haram, which is the part allotted to the women, is a collection of young beautiful girls, who, on their admission, are committed to the charge of some old lady, and taught music, dancing, and other accomplishments. They frequently play and dance before the grand seignor, while others entertain him with their conversation. Besides these ladies, there are a great many black eunuchs, and female slaves, in the seraglio, whose business it is to guard and wait upon them.