[Sundog]

Thanks Cardhu,

The points in the article above are quite informative as to the nature of the Ottomans 5 centuries ago, Other sultans had done worse: one, tiring of his womenfolk, had drowned his entire harem - some several hundred strong - in muslin sacks at the bottom of the Bosphorus;

[Cardhu]

Indeed, shades of Scheherazade.