Yerliyya

Yerli
Active17th–19th century
Allegiance Ottoman Empire
TypeAuxiliary
Part ofJanissaries

Yerliye or Yerli (Turkish: yerliler, Arabic: Yerliyya, from Turkish: yerlü, meaning "local") was a term used in the Ottoman Empire, initially, in the 17th century for local services such as building bridges, while since the mid-17th century it came to be applied to the Janissaries corps.[1] In the 18th century, the local provincial military recruits were also called yerli kulu.[2] Another name for local Janissaries (Turkish: yerli yeniçeri) was Yamaks,[3] auxiliaries, many of whom carried out the Janissary military duties.[4]

In the Middle East, there was a formal distinction between Yerli Janissaries (local militia) and the Imperial Janissaries (kapıkulu, of the central government).[5] These two Janissary groups conflicted in Syria.[6]

References

  1. ^ Aksan 2014, pp. 68, 75.
  2. ^ Aksan 2014, p. 68.
  3. ^ Bodman, Herbert Luther (1963). Political Factions in Aleppo, 1760-1826. Vol. 45. University of North Carolina Press. p. 74.
  4. ^ Nicolle, David (2024-11-07). Armies of the Ottoman Empire 1775–1820. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 9. ISBN 978-1-4728-6933-3.
  5. ^ Hourani, Albert; Khoury, Philip Shukry; Wilson, Mary Christina (1993-01-01). The Modern Middle East: A Reader. University of California Press. p. 94. ISBN 978-0-520-08241-0.
  6. ^ Batatu, Hanna (1981). "Some Observations on the Social Roots of Syria's Ruling, Military Group and the Causes for Its Dominance". Middle East Journal. 35 (3). Middle East Institute: 331–344. ISSN 0026-3141. JSTOR 4326249. Retrieved 2026-02-18.

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Further reading