köçek

thumb|200px|right|Köçek in Ottoman miniature. The '''' (plural ) was typically a young, male, and physically attractive enslaved dancer (rakkas''), who usually cross-dressed in feminine attire, and was employed as an entertainer.

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Image: Koceks - Surname-i Vehbi.jpg

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Commons category: Köçek

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~9 min read

Article

9 sections

Contents

Roots
Culture
Modern offshoots
Turkish reaction to köçek
In film
See also
References
Further reading
External links

thumb|200px|right|Köçek in Ottoman miniature. The '''' (plural ) was typically a young, male, and physically attractive enslaved dancer (rakkas), who usually cross-dressed in feminine attire, and was employed as an entertainer.

== Roots == thumb|left|250px|"Köçek'' troupe at a fair" at Sultan Ahmed's 1720 celebration of his son's circumcision. Miniature from the Surname-i Vehbi, Topkapı Palace, [[Istanbul.]] Turkish köçek derives from Persian kūçak کوچک. The culture of the köçek, which flourished from the 18th to the 19th century, had its origin in the customs in Ottoman palaces, and in particular in the harems. Its genres enriched both the music and the dance of the Ottomans.