Ghazi (
Arabic: غازى) is an Arabic word in origin, derived from
ghazā (contraction for
*ghazawa) = "raided" or "waged war", adopted into other languages such as Turkish to designate those Muslims who have sworn to fight non-believers in the
Islamic religion. In this sense, it is essentially equivalent to
mujahid: "one who wages jihad", commonly known as "holy war". The
ghāzī warrior dates back to at least
Pre-Islamic Arabia, when he appears as anything from an ideological warrior, such as the forces under
Al-Nu'man III ibn al-Mundhir, to
mercenaries who specialise in plundering
Byzantine,
Sassanian, and
Southern Arabian settlements. Following the
Islamic Conquest of Persia,
Bedouin razzia tactics were copied by the
Persians. Subsequently, as many as 20,000
ghazi took part in the
Indian campaigns of
Mahmud of Gazni. warrior The
ghāzī way of life was based on plunder, so in times of peace they engaged in
banditry and
sedition. They were organized into guilds that attracted adventurers,
zealots, and political and religious dissidents of all ethnicities. Soldiers of
Turkish descent predominated, especially after the acquisition of
Mamluks,
Turkish slaves, and guard corps of the caliphs and
emirs for the
ghāzī ranks. Some of them would climb to control positions of military and eventually political power in various Muslim states. In the west, Turkish
ghāzīs regularly raided along the
Byzantine frontier, finding in the
Greek and
Armenian
akritoi their nemesis. After the
battle of Manzikert, these raids intensified, while the
ghāzī guilds grouped together to form fraternities similar to Christian
military orders. They adopted as their emblems the white cap and the club. The rise of the
ghāzī organizations occurred during the
Mongol conquest, as a result of which many fled to
Anatolia from
Persia and
Turkestan. The organization of these groups was fluid, reflecting their popular character.
Ghāzī warriors could rise in the hierarchy by gaining prestige with a particular
emir, similar to the
condottieri of Italian mercenary bands. From the territory conquered in
Anatolia during the
ghazw emerged the
Ottoman Empire. Tradition has it that its founder,
Osman I, was a
ghāzī who was inspired by
sheikh Ede Bali. In a later period of Islamic history, the honorific title
ghāzī was adopted by those Muslim leaders who showed some success in extending the frontiers of Islam. Eventually this title became exclusive, similar to how the
Roman title
imperator became the exclusive property of the supreme leader of the Roman state and his family. The
Ottomans were probably the first in this practice, so the institution of
ghazw dates back to the beginnings of their state. By the beginning of Ottoman rule, it had become a title of honor and synonymous with leadership. In a
1337 inscription (concerning the construction of the
Bursa mosque),
Orhan, second in the
Ottoman dynasty, is described as "Sultan, son of the Sultan of the Gazis, Gazi son of Gazi, martial lord of the horizons." The Ottoman poet Ahmedi, circa
1402, defines a
gazi as: The first nine Ottoman leaders used the word
"ghazi" as part of their title, and often their successors. It never became a formal title, unlike
Sultan ul-Muyahidin, used by Sultan
Murad Khan II Khojā Ghazi, sixth ruler of the
House of Osman (
1421-
1451), whose full title was '''Abu'l Hayrat, Sultan ul-Muyahidin, Khan of Khans, Grand Sultan of Anatolia and Rumelia, and of the cities of Adrianople and Philippopolis.'' As a result of the political legitimacy granted to the one holding this title, Muslim leaders competed with each other for preeminence in the
ghāziya. Generally, the Ottoman sultans were recognized for their excellence over the rest: The term
Ghazi was also used as an honorific title, usually translated as "the Victorious", by high-ranking officers, who distinguished themselves in the field against non-Muslim enemies; thus, it was awarded to General Osman Pasha after his successful defense of
Plevna in
Bulgaria. It was also assigned to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, despite the fact that he was a secular politician. Two Muslim leaders from
Afghanistan and
Hyderabad personally used the title Padshah-i-Ghazi. == Mode of execution of the razzias ==