Bazirgan
Bazirgan and Bezirgan are the Turkish forms of the Persian Bāzargān, meaning "merchant".[1] In Ottoman Turkish, the term Bāzirgān was used to denote merchants of Christian and especially Jewish origin.[1] Some of these Christian and Jewish merchants held office in the Ottoman palace or Ottoman army.[1] For instance, the Bazirgan-bashi functioned as a chief purveyor of textiles to the Imperial Ottoman household.[1] The Odjak-Bāzirgāni, in practice a steward, was usually of Greek or Jewish origins, and was responsible for handling the salaries and supplies of the Janissary corps.[1] The office of Odjak-Bāzirgāni became a hereditary post amongst certain families.[1]
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Sources[edit]
- Lewis, Bernard (1960). "Bazi̊rgan". In Gibb, H. A. R.; Kramers, J. H.; Lévi-Provençal, E.; Schacht, J.; Lewis, B. & Pellat, Ch. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Volume I: A–B. Leiden: E. J. Brill. OCLC 495469456.