The first part of the work was published in the book P’unj in 1874; the first and second parts were published together for the first time in the book Vepikner yev patkerner in 1891, three years after Raffi's death.

The book is set in the royal harem of the prince of Persia the 19th century, probably after the Russo-Persian War (1804-1813).

Two of the characters in the book, the Prince and Zeynep, have real-life analogues in Fath-Ali Shah Qajar, and one of his 165 consorts, an Armenian from Tiflis who was given the name Gul-Pirhan.

The first part of Harem was first published in the second volume of P’unj, a collection of Raffi's works, in 1874.

[4] An English translation of the novella by Beyon Miloyan and Kimberley McFarlane was published in 2020.