A kavass or cavass is an Ottoman Turkish term for an armed guard fulfilling various roles, often in the service of local notables and European foreigners of high status or means.

Etymology

The Turkish word is derived from the Arabic , 'archer', meaning 'bow'. Kavass is often spelled in English as kawas or kawass, especially in geographical contexts where Arabic exerts an influence on the author.

Role of the kavass and use of the term

The kavass was mainly known as a type of 19th-century Ottoman guard and escort, serving local and foreign dignitaries such as ambassadors and consuls. In the Holy Land (Ottoman Palestine) for instance, the right to employ kawasses was a

prerogative In law, a prerogative is an exclusive right bestowed by a government or state and invested in an individual or group, the content of which is separate from the body of rights enjoyed under the general law. It was a common facet of feudal law. The ...

of the Christian patriarchs and was only extended to the chief rabbi of the

Palestinian Jews Palestinian Jews or Jewish Palestinians were the Jewish inhabitants of the Palestine region (known in Hebrew as ''Eretz Yisrael'', ) prior to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. The common term used to refer to the Jewish commu ...

in 1842, along with his recognition as the official representative of the community (see

millet system In the Ottoman Empire, a millet (; ar, مِلَّة) was an independent court of law pertaining to "personal law" under which a confessional community (a group abiding by the laws of Muslim Sharia, Christian Canon law, or Jewish Halakha) was ...

). This was quite significant, as a ''kawass'' was entitled to strike a misbehaving citizen even if he was a Muslim. Kavasses preserved public order at the important worship spots of the Holy Land, which was part of the Ottoman Empire from 1516 until 1918, such as the churches of the Holy Sepulchre in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

and the of the Nativity in

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...

. They still are employed there, but with a primarily ceremonial role, as law enforcement is provided by the normal state authorities. The 1911 entry in the

Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various t ...

defines the kavass as "an armed police-officer; also for a courier such as it is usual to engage when travelling in Turkey." At the time, "Turkey" would still usually mean the entire declining Ottoman Empire. More generally, in the words of the famous Nazi-time spy 'Cicero', by his real name

Elyesa Bazna Elyesa Bazna (), sometimes known as Ilyaz and Iliaz Bazna (; 28 July 1904 – 21 December 1970), was a secret agent for Nazi Germany during World War II, operating under the code name Cicero. Born in Pristina, Bazna attended a military ...

(1904–1970), "in Turkey anyone who serves a foreigner is known as a ''kavass'', a term used especially for servants at foreign embassies."

Notes

References

{{Reflist Turkish words and phrases Law enforcement in Turkey