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[[Image:Tellak - Huban name.jpg|thumb|250px|right|'''Tellak'''<br> Detail of an illustration from the ''Hubanname'' ''(The Book of the Handsome Ones),'' an 18th century [[Pederasty#The Ottoman Empire|homoerotic]] work by the Turkish poet [[Fazyl bin Tahir Enderuni]].]]
[[Image:Tellak - Huban name.jpg|thumb|250px|right|'''Tellak'''. Detail of an illustration from the ''Hubanname'' (''The Book of the Handsome Ones''), an 18th-century [[Pederasty#The Ottoman Empire|homoerotic]] work by the Turkish poet [[Fazyl bin Tahir Enderuni]].]]


Traditionally, ''[[tellak]],'' masseurs in the Turkish [[hammam]]s - the public baths in the [[Ottoman empire]], now relegated to a more recreational role - were [[Pederasty#The Ottoman Empire|young boys]] who soaped and scrubbed the clients. They were recruited from among the ranks of the [[Dhimmi|non-Muslim subject nations]] of the Turkish empire, such as [[Greeks]], [[Armenians]], [[Jews]], [[Albanians]], [[Bulgarians]], [[Roma people|Roma]] and others.
Traditionally, a ''tellak'' was a young male masseur who soaped and scrubbed the clients of a ''[[hammam]]'', a place of public bathing associated with the culture of the [[Ottoman Empire]]. They were usually adolescent boys recruited from among the ranks of [[Dhimmi|non-Muslim subject nations]], counting among them [[Greeks]], [[Armenians]], [[Jews]], [[Albanians]], [[Bulgarians]], [[Romani people]] and others.


Their roles were not just as washers, but also as adolescent [[Prostitution|sex workers]]. Ottoman texts (such as the ''Dellakname-i-Dilküşa,'' an 18th century work by Dervish Ismail Agha at Ottoman Archives, Süleymaniye, Istanbul), record their names, physical features and national origin, how many times they could bring their customers to orgasm, and the details of their fees and services.
Besides their role as washers, ''tellaks'' often acted as [[Prostitution|sex workers]]. Ottoman texts dedicated to the subject matter of ''tellak'' [[catamites]], such as the ''Dellakname-i-Dilküşa'', an 18th-century work by Dervish Ismail Agha (held in the Ottoman Archives of Süleymaniye, Istanbul), recorded their names, physical features and national origin, how many times they could bring their customers to orgasm, and the details of their fees and services.


At times the relationship between a tellak and his client became intensely personal. It is recorded that in the mid-18th century, a [[janissary]] - a type of fighting man in the Ottoman army - had a tellak for a lover. The latter was kidnapped by the men of another regiment and given over to the use of their commander. A days-long battle between the two janissary regiments ensued, which was brought to an end only by the intervention of the Sultan, who had the tellak hanged.
At times the relationship between a ''tellak'' and his client became intensely personal. For example, it is recorded that in the mid-18th century, a [[janissary]]—a member of an elite corps in the standing army of the Ottoman Empire—had a ''tellak'' for a lover. The latter was kidnapped by the men of another regiment and given over to the use of their commander. A days-long battle between the two janissary regiments ensued, which was brought to an end only by the intervention of the Sultan, who had the ''tellak'' hanged.


The tellak role lost its sexual aspect in the early years of the twentieth century, as a result of the increasing westernization of the [[Turkish Republic]], and now is filled by adult attendants who specialize in more prosaic forms of scrubbing and massage but the term ''hamam oğlanı'' (bath boy) in Turkish still indicates a homosexual.
The role of ''tellak'' lost its sexual aspect in the early years of the twentieth century, as a result of the increasing westernization of the [[Turkish Republic]], and is now filled by adult attendants who specialize in more prosaic forms of scrubbing and massage, but the Turkish term ''hamam oğlanı'' (bath boy) still indicates a homosexual male.


==See also==
==See also==
* [[Pederasty]]
* [[Ghilman]]
* [[Ghilman]]
* [[Pederasty in the modern world]]
* [[Köçek]]
* [[Köçek]]
* [[Hammam]]
* [[Pederasty]]
 
 


[[Category:Ottoman Empire]]
[[Category:Ottoman Empire]]

Latest revision as of 09:39, 18 February 2020

Tellak. Detail of an illustration from the Hubanname (The Book of the Handsome Ones), an 18th-century homoerotic work by the Turkish poet Fazyl bin Tahir Enderuni.

Traditionally, a tellak was a young male masseur who soaped and scrubbed the clients of a hammam, a place of public bathing associated with the culture of the Ottoman Empire. They were usually adolescent boys recruited from among the ranks of non-Muslim subject nations, counting among them Greeks, Armenians, Jews, Albanians, Bulgarians, Romani people and others.

Besides their role as washers, tellaks often acted as sex workers. Ottoman texts dedicated to the subject matter of tellak catamites, such as the Dellakname-i-Dilküşa, an 18th-century work by Dervish Ismail Agha (held in the Ottoman Archives of Süleymaniye, Istanbul), recorded their names, physical features and national origin, how many times they could bring their customers to orgasm, and the details of their fees and services.

At times the relationship between a tellak and his client became intensely personal. For example, it is recorded that in the mid-18th century, a janissary—a member of an elite corps in the standing army of the Ottoman Empire—had a tellak for a lover. The latter was kidnapped by the men of another regiment and given over to the use of their commander. A days-long battle between the two janissary regiments ensued, which was brought to an end only by the intervention of the Sultan, who had the tellak hanged.

The role of tellak lost its sexual aspect in the early years of the twentieth century, as a result of the increasing westernization of the Turkish Republic, and is now filled by adult attendants who specialize in more prosaic forms of scrubbing and massage, but the Turkish term hamam oğlanı (bath boy) still indicates a homosexual male.

See also