TRENDEFRAtlas of the Sultans · Glossary
Term · Army and navy
Also known as: timar-holding cavalryman
From the Persian word for “soldier”: the cavalryman of the Ottoman army.
The word was used for two different groups: the timar-holding sipahis of the provinces, who joined campaigns in return for timar revenue, and the salaried kapıkulu cavalry in the capital. In the classical period the timar-holding sipahis formed the largest part of the army.
Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, article “SİPAHİ” (in Turkish); text condensed for the atlas.