Physicians at the Ottoman court.

INTRODUCTION: A "MONDE RENVERSE" Between its foundation by Sultan Mehemmed the Conqueror (reg. 1451-81) and its abandonment in the middle of the nineteenth century, the Saray, the Palace in Constantinople, served for more than 400 years not only as the residence of the Ottoman Sultans and their royal household, but also as the seat of their imperial rule. More than that, it determined the imprint of Ottoman society. The immense enclosure on what is called the Seraglio Point, surrounded by impressive fortifications, consisted of an "outer" B7riun and an "inner" Enderiin section within a series of courtyards. The Bflriun, which included the D7viin or Imperial Council Chamber, was of necessity partly open to the outside; the Enderiun or inner palace, separated by a second line of walls, contained the private apartments of the Sultan, the Imperial Household, the Harem, and the Pavilion of the Holy Mantle, as well as the special Palace School.' Because of the strict privacy beyond what was called the "Gate of Felicity", the inner palace was inaccessible. It was perhaps justifiably referred to by some historians as the "forbidden city".2 As late as 1822, Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall, Secretary to the Austrian Embassy in Constantinople, and the author of the monumental Geschichte des osmanischen Reiches, could still declare with the utmost confidence that no Europeans except physicians had ever entered it and that no one had ever described it.3 Although von Hammer was referring specifically to the Harem, it could have been said for the whole inner palace. The frustration of the foreigner with the difficulty of ascertaining even matters of no importance is reflected in the comment of Pietro della Valle, writing from Constantinople in 1615: "Those who dwell beyond the third gate, who in their own