Harem
From open-encyclopedia.com - the free encyclopedia.
In traditional Arab culture, the harîm حريم is the part of the household forbidden to male strangers. In English, this term refers collectively to the wives in a polygamous household as well as the "no-males allowed" area.
Harem is also the usual English translation of the Chinese language term hougong, 後宮—literally meaning "the palaces behind." Hougong are large Chinese royal palaces for the emperor's consorts and female attendants. The women who lived in an emperor's hougong sometimes numbered in the thousands.
See also
de:Harem fr:Harem
