Akinji

Common card · No. 404029

Akinji or akindji (Ottoman Turkish: آقنجى, romanized: aḳıncı, lit. 'raider', Turkish: akıncı, IPA: [akɯnˈdʒɯ]; plural: akıncılar) were Turkish irregular light cavalry, scout divisions (deli) and advance troops of the Ottoman Empire's military. When the pre-existing Turkish ghazis were incorporated into the Ottoman Empire's military they became known as "akinji." Unpaid, they lived and operated as raiders on the frontiers of the Ottoman Empire, subsisting on plunder. In German sources these troops were called Renner und Brenner (English: "Runner and burner"). There is a distinction made between "akinji" and "deli" cavalry.

Read on Wikipedia · Image A painter of the Ottoman Nakkaşhane, Public domain