Kalfa
Kalfa
Ottoman term for female palace attendants
Kalfa (Turkish for 'apprentice, assistant master') was a general term in the Ottoman Empire for the women attendants and supervisors in service in the imperial palace.[1] Novice girls had to await promotion to the rank of kalfa.[1] It was a rank below that of usta ('master'), the title of the leading administrative/supervisory officers of the harem. The titles usta and kalfa belong to the terminology of Ottoman guild organization and other hierarchically-organized corporate bodies. Legally slave girls, these women—depending on their rank—could wield considerable authority and influence in their duties and were generally treated with much respect by lower-ranking attendants in the harem as well as by members of the imperial family.[1]
This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (September 2018) |
Among craftsmen the term had a similar rank: that of a junior master yet to graduate to usta status[2] and open his own shop.