The sultan’s mother was the most powerful woman in the Ottoman Empire. She is wearing an ermine-trimmed kaftan, symbolising her powerful position. Apart from the sultan, the sultan’s mother was the only person authorised to give direct orders to the grand vizier. She also held sway in the harem. These were the private quarters where the sultan’s women lived. The harem was guarded by castrated African slaves, eunuchs. One is shown to the right in the painting.