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. In the 18th century, the local provincial military recruits were also called yerli kulu. Another name for local Janissaries (Turkish: yerli yeniçeri) was Yamaks, auxiliaries, many of whom carried out the Janissary military duties.

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

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