From the makams of the royal courts to the melodies of the royal harems, a type of dance music emerged that was different from the "oyun havası" of fasıl music. In the Ottoman Empire, the harem was that part of a house set apart for the women of the family. It was a place in which non-family males were not allowed. Eunuchs guarded the sultan's harems, which were quite large, including several hundred women who were wives and concubines. There, female dancers and musicians entertained the women living in the harem. Belly dance was performed by women for women. This female dancer, known as a "rakkase", hardly ever appeared in public.