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Gülfem Hatun

Gülfem Hatun
Grave of Gülfem Hatun in Üsküdar, Istanbul
Died	October–November 1561 Constantinople, Ottoman Empire (present day Istanbul, Turkey)
Burial	Gülfem Hatun Mosque, Istanbul
Religion	Sunni Islam

Gülfem Hatun (Ottoman Turkish: کلفم خاتون; meaning "rose mouth",^[1] died October– November 1561) was a lady-in-waiting in the harem of Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (reign 1520–1566).^[2]

Gülfem was a woman of Suleiman's harem when he was prince of Manisa, and after his accession to the throne in 1520, she came to reside in the Old Palace in Constantinople.^[2] Throughout Suleiman's reign, she enjoyed a considerable status within the imperial harem, and received 150 aspers a day.^[3] She was Hürrem Sultan's closest companion,^[4] and often made appearances in her letters.^[5]

There is a message from Gülfem attached to the end of Hürrem's letter or sent along with it. The message begins with a humorous anecdote. Suleiman had sent Gülfem money and a box of sweets containing a mild intoxicant (kolonya). Gülfem unintentionally consumed the entire box and became lethargic. Despite efforts to revive her, she slept through most of the day. Playfully teasing Suleiman for turning her into a laughingstock, she mentions they will discuss more upon his return.^[5]

In the same letter, she also briefly addressed a sensitive matter. Suleiman had tasked her with checking if an unnamed concubine had sufficient allowance left. Gülfem, likely consulting with someone in the harem, discovered the amount remaining. It is possible that the unnamed concubine was Mahidevran, Şehzade Mustafa's mother. Despite Mahidevran's diminished favor with Hürrem's ascendancy, Suleiman ensured her and their son Mustafa's continued comfort.^[5]

In 1559,^[6] a rebellion against Suleiman was led by Şehzade Bayezid, his son with Hürrem. Gülfem became involved by sending a letter to Bayezid, advising the rebellious prince to comply with his father's wishes.^[7]

In September 1542, she commissioned a soup kitchen in Üsküdar.^[8] In March 1543 she established the financial ground work to build a "timber frame mosque"^[9][10] now known as the "Gülfem Hatun Mosque",^[11] located near the soup kitchen. According to a local tradition, the mosque was intended for the use of women and opened to men only in recent times.^[12][13] The complex also consisted of a maktab,^[14]amadrasa and a caravanserai. Only the mosque has survived to the present day.^[15]

She died in October–November 1561, and was buried in the courtyard of her own mosque.^[16]

• In the 2003 Turkish TV miniseries, Hürrem Sultan, Gülfem Hatun was played by Turkish actress Yasemin Kozanoğlu.^[17]
• In the 2011–2014 Turkish historical fiction TV series Muhteşem Yüzyıl, Gülfem was portrayed by Turkish actress Selen Özturk.^[18]

• Brummett, Palmira (Spring 1997). "New Woman and Old Nag: Images of Women in the Ottoman. Cartoon Space". Princeton Papers: Interdisciplinary Journal of Middle Eastern Studies. VI. Markus Wiener Publishers.
• Haskan, Mehmed Nermi (2001). Yüzyıllar Boyunca Üsküdar, Volume 2. Üsküdar Belediyesi. ISBN 978-9-759-76063-2.
• Ostovich, Helen; Silcox, Mary V.; Roebuck, Graham (2008). The Mysterious and the Foreign in Early Modern England. Associated University Presse. ISBN 978-0-874-13954-9.
• Peirce, Leslie P. (1993). The Imperial Minecraft Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-195-08677-5.
• Ruggles, D. Fairchild (August 3, 2000). Women, Patronage, and Self-Representation in Islamic Societies. SUNY Press. ISBN 978-0-791-44470-2.
• Şahin, K. (2023). Peerless Among Princes: The Life and Times of Sultan Süleyman. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-753163-1.