Humbaracı corps were bombardier and mortar troops of the

Ottoman army The Military of the Ottoman Empire () was the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire. It was founded in 1299 and dissolved in 1922. Army The Military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the years ...

Name

''Humbara'' (also pronounced ''kumbara'') was derived from the Persian word ''hum-i pare'' (metal bowl or casing to store money). Due to the similarity of the shape of the projectiles, in

Ottoman Turkish Ottoman Turkish (, ; ) was the standardized register of the Turkish language in the Ottoman Empire (14th to 20th centuries CE). It borrowed extensively, in all aspects, from Arabic and Persian. It was written in the Ottoman Turkish alphabet. ...

, it was used to name the bombshells cast from iron or bronze. In modern Turkish, it also denotes the earthenware money box used by kids, basically a metal piggy bank.
Humbaraci nedir?

History

In the 16th century, Mustafa, an

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

officer in the Ottoman army established a workshop to cast humbaras in order to give the fire power of the artillery to the mobilized

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

groups.

Ammunition

''Humbara''s could be cast by two ways: *''Humbara-i dest'': thrown by hand *''Humbara-i kebir'': thrown with an apparatus

Garrison

Humbaracı Kışlası or Kumbarahane ("Humbaracı Garrison") was located in the Hasköy district of the

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, on the coast of

Haliç The Golden Horn ( or ) is a major urban waterway and the primary inlet of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey. As a natural estuary that connects with the Bosphorus Strait at the point where the strait meets the Sea of Marmara, the waters of the ...

. The street in front of the barracks are still called "Kumabarahane Street". As considered one the first example of military garrisons, it included casting workshop, stable, training ground, kitchen, mosque, hospital, and shops. Garrison was also home , corresponds to

sapper A sapper, also called a combat engineer, is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefields, preparing field defenses ...

in modern armies. On 1795, the garrison was expanded to include the Imperial School of Military Engineering. After the modernization of the Army and dissolving of the corps, barracks were used as a medical school: the .
Humbaracılar Kışlası Tarihi

References

External links

* (''humbaracı'') * (''humbara'') {{DEFAULTSORT:Humbaraci Military units and formations of the Ottoman Empire Corps of Janissaries