A bostanji (also spelled bostandji or bostangi; from tr,

bostancı Bostancı is a neighbourhood of Kadıköy, located on the Anatolian side of Istanbul, Turkey, on the shore of the Sea of Marmara. As the easternmost neighbourhood of the Kadıköy district; it borders Suadiye and Kozyatağı (also neighbourho ...

, 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 or Empress. Usually these troops embody a more elite status than other imperial forces, i ...

s of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. The bostanji were mainly responsible for protecting the sultan's palace and its premises. They also guarded the

seraglio A seraglio, serail, seray or saray (from fa, سرای, sarāy, palace, via Turkish and Italian) is a castle, palace or government building which was considered to have particular administrative importance in various parts of the former Ott ...

and rowed the Sultan's barge. Their chief was called the Bostanji-bashi ( tr, bostancıbaşı), and he had the rank of a

pasha Pasha, Pacha or Paşa ( ota, پاشا; tr, paşa; sq, Pashë; ar, باشا), in older works sometimes anglicized as bashaw, was a higher rank in the Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, generals, dignitar ...

. The bostanji at one time numbered 3000, and were united with the janissaries, another Ottoman imperial guard corps, in military duty. In war time 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. 2009. Ottoman titles Turkish words and phrases Royal guards Military units and formations of the Ottoman Empire {{Ottoman-stub

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