Ghazi (warrior)

Ghazi, Turkish spelling Gazi, sometimes Ghazi (Arabic غازي, DMG Gazi, who undertakes an expedition, attackers, conquerors ') is the name for a Muslim warrior who participates in the Ghazw and thus to the " fighters for the cause of God "(al- Gazi fī ʾ sabīli llāh ) is.

It is considered in Islam as especially meritorious to participate as Ghazi on campaigns against the infidels; However, the term is not used in this sense in the Qur'an, but only in the Hadith, which are preserved in the canonical collections of traditions, especially in the chapters on the virtues of jihad. At the boundary marks to the Byzantine Empire, the military strongholds of the Muslims emerged in the late 8th century: the stay there as Murabit was considered by scholars as a virtuous deed. They themselves are referred to in Islamic literature as Ghazi Al - ʿ ī Auza, his pupil Abu Ishaaq al - Fazari, which dealt with the legal issue of Jihad and Siyar, were not only theorists but also fighters. The historian Muhammad ibn Sa'd was dedicated in his class book a special section for those scholars who have as a fighter at the boundary marks of the Islamic empire worked ( THAGR / thuġūr / Ribat ).

On the Anatolian boundary line between the Christian and Muslim world ( Al-' Awāṣim and later Uc) Gazi was a counter-concept to the Byzantine Akritai. The historian Paul Wittek goes into his, now discussed controversially, Ghazi - thesis assumes that the early Ottoman princes were driven into Anatolia from the religious zeal to lead them against their non- Muslim neighbors War.

Honorary title

Later they used the term as a title for the Islamic conquerors, Knight, Ruler. The terms gazi and Ghazwa come from times of the Turkish principalities in Anatolia and played a crucial role in the founding of the Ottoman Empire. An equivalent of the Gazi - term was Alp.

The Ottoman title Gazi was usually awarded on merit in a battle for. Ottoman sultans often wore the nickname Gazi, the founder of the Ottoman Empire, Osman I (1258-1326), as well as his son Orhan I. ( 1281-1360 ).

The word Gazi found in Turkey and later extensively used by a culturally Ottoman into context. Often, it is also used in the sense of veteran. So the city got the name of Additional Gazi Antep in 1921. Thus, their role was recognized in the Turkish War of Independence. And Mustafa Kemal, who had not yet introduced the name Atatürk, was awarded after his victory over the Greeks of the honorary title Gazi.