Life in a harem probably wasn't all it's cracked up to be. Think of the poor eunuchs, for example: get your balls cut off and then spend the rest of your life staring at beautiful women in various states of undress and opium-induced torpors? Bummer. Not to mention what it must've been like for the girls —you could be lounging around filing your nails on an expensive carpet, minding your own business, when suddenly the Pasha demands your undivided attention. Sounds like torture for everybody but the Pasha. Luckily, these days it's all dress-up and make-believe ... like in this huge gallery of bellydancer and harem girl photos, with models from Hollywood to Vegas to Istanbul.- J. West

Belly Dancers and Harem Girls (shanmonster.com via WFMU's Beware of Blog)