Ottoman military band
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Ottoman military bands were the first-recorded military marching bands. Though often known as the mehter, this term refers only to a single musician in the band. In the Ottoman Empire, the band was ge
Mehterhâne, photo from 1917
Modern mehter troop
Ottoman mehterân
Mehterhâne, miniature from 1720
Janissary
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A janissary was a member of the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops. They were one of the first modern standing armies, and perhaps the first infantry force in the w
Ottoman military band
…is often termed mehter bölüğü ('mehter company [troop]') or mehter takımı ('mehter platoon'). In Western Europe, the band's music is also often called Janissary music because the janissaries formed the core of the bands. Such military bands as the mehters, were not definitively mentioned until the 13th century…
Agha of the Janissaries and a Bölük of the Janissaries by Lambert Wyts, 1573
Agha of the Janissaries, commander of the Janissary Corps, in 1768
Portrait of a Janissary with a firearm (before 1657)
The Janissary Agha leading the corps, 1658.