''Bacıyân-ı Rûm'' (literally Sisters of

Rûm Rūm ( , collective; singulative: ''Rūmī'' ; plural: ''Arwām'' ; ''Rum'' or ''Rumiyān'', singular ''Rumi''; ), ultimately derived from Greek Ῥωμαῖοι ('' Rhomaioi'', literally 'Romans'), is the endonym of the pre-Islamic inhabi ...

) was an alleged female militia organization in the late

Anatolian Beyliks Anatolian beyliks (, Ottoman Turkish: ''Tavâif-i mülûk'', ''Beylik''; ) were Turkish principalities (or petty kingdoms) in Anatolia governed by ''beys'', the first of which were founded at the end of the 11th century. A second and more exte ...

era.

Origins

The term ''bâciyân-ı Rûm'' was first time mentioned in the 15th century by

Aşıkpaşazade Dervish Ahmed (; "Ahmed the Dervish; 1400–1484), better known by his pen name Âşıki or his family name Aşıkpaşazade, was an Ottoman historian and a prominent representative of the early Ottoman historiography. He was a descendant (the g ...

, alongside other groups called ''gāziyân-ı Rûm'' (

Ghazis A ''ghazi'', or ''gazi'' (, , plural ''ġuzāt'') is an individual who participated in ''ghazw'' (, '' ''), meaning military expeditions or raids against non-Muslims. The latter term was applied in early Islamic literature to expeditions led by ...

of Rum), ''ahîyân-ı Rûm'' ( Akhis of Rum) and ''abdalân-ı Rûm'' (

Abdal Abdāl () ''lit'': substitutes, but which can also mean "generous" 'karīm''and "noble" 'sharīf'' is a term used in Islamic metaphysics and Islamic mysticism, both Sunni and Shiite,La-Shay', Hussein and Negahban, Farzin, "Abdāl", in: ''Ency ...

s of Rum). Another record appears in

Bertrandon de la Broquière Bertrandon de la Bro(c)quière ( 1400 – 9 May 1459) was a Burgundian spy and pilgrim to the Middle East in 1432–33. The book of his travels, ''Le Voyage d'Outre-Mer'', is a detailed and lively account of the political situations and p ...

's travelogue. La Broquière mentioned that the

Beylik of Dulkadir The Beylik of Dulkadir () was one of the Turkish Anatolian beyliks (principality) established by the Oghuz Turk clans Bayat, Afshar, and Begdili after the decline of Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm. Etymology The meaning of Dulkadir is unclear. ...

had a

Turkmen Turkmen, Türkmen, Turkoman, or Turkman may refer to: Peoples Historical ethnonym * Turkoman (ethnonym), ethnonym used for the Oghuz Turks during the Middle Ages Ethnic groups * Turkmen in Anatolia and the Levant (Seljuk and Ottoman-Turkish desc ...

militia consisting of women. Since Bâciyân-ı Rûm was an organization made up of women and that no such group was mentioned in any other source than Aşıkpaşazade's work, it attracted the attention of many researchers. It was claimed that it might be a mistake of copying to take the form of the word "''bâciyân''" (sisters). Franz Taeschner argued that the original of this might be ''hajiyân-ı Rûm'' (pilgrims of Rum) or '' bahşiyân-ı Rûm'' (clerks of Rum).

Zeki Velidi Togan Zeki Velidi Togan (, , ; 1890 – 1970 in Istanbul), was a Turkish- Bashkir historian, Turkologist, and leader of the Bashkir revolutionary and liberation movement, doctor of philosophy (1935), professor, honorary doctor of the University of Man ...

also supported this view.

Mehmet Fuat Köprülü Mehmet Fuat Köprülü (December 5, 1890 – June 28, 1966), also known as Köprülüzade Mehmed Fuad, was a highly influential Turkish sociologist, Turkologist, scholar, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister of the Rep ...

argued that female members of

Haji Bektash Veli Haji Bektash Veli (; ; ; ) was an Islamic scholar, Mysticism, mystic, Wali, saint, sayyid, and philosopher from Greater Khorasan, Khorasan who lived and taught in Anatolia.C. Olsen: Celibacy and Religious Traditions. Oxford University Press. 1st ...

's sect were given the nickname "''bacı''", therefore saw the existence of this organization possible.

References

History of the Turkish people Oghuz Turks All-female military units and formations History of women in Turkey {{ottoman-stub