Lâle Devri: Lady Montagu’nun Mektuplarında Osmanlı Kadını ve Gündelik Yaşam Kültürü - The Tulip Era in the Ottoman History: Ottoman Women and Daily Life According to Lady Montagu’s Letters

Ottoman Empire has eroused the curiosity of the West since its establishment. One of the topics which erouse curiosity most is the harem life and Turkish women. Although it was impossible for a stranger to be allowed to visit the harem in any household, most of the travelogues written by the Western travellers give false and limited information about the life in harem. Lady Montague being a woman, has been able to enter different harems during her stay in İstanbul and make objective observations on Turkish women’s family life. As a result her Letters are a valuable source for social history and sociology. She aimed to change the prejudice towards Ottoman women and family life in the West. This paper will evaluate the Ottoman women and family life from a Western woman’s point of view.