A bostanji (also spelled bostandji or bostangi; from , literally "gardener""bostanji."
''Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged.'' Merriam-Webster. 2002.) was a member of one of the types of

imperial guard An imperial guard or palace guard is a special group of troops (or a member thereof) of an empire, typically closely associated directly with the emperor and/or empress. Usually these troops embody a more elite status than other imperial force ...

s of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. The bostanji were mainly responsible for protecting the

sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

's palace and its premises. They also guarded the

seraglio A seraglio, serail, seray or saray (from , via Turkish, Italian and French) is a castle, palace or government building which was considered to have particular administrative importance in various parts of the former Ottoman Empire. "The S ...

and rowed the sultan's barge. Their chief was called the bostanji-bashi (), and he had the rank of a

pasha Pasha (; ; ) was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, generals, dignitary, dignitaries, and others. ''Pasha'' was also one of the highest titles in the 20th-century Kingdom of ...

. The bostanji at one time numbered 3000, and were united with the

janissaries A janissary (, , ) was a member of the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops. They were the first modern standing army, and perhaps the first infantry force in the world to be equipped with firearms, adopted du ...

, another Ottoman imperial guard corps, in military duty. In wartime their strength was 12,000. By the beginning of the 20th century their number was about 600.

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"Image of a Bostanji-bashi."
''Digital Gallery.''

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second-largest public library in the United States behind the Library of Congress a ...

. 2009. Ottoman titles Turkish words and phrases Royal guards Military units and formations of the Ottoman Empire Corps of Janissaries {{Ottoman-stub

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