Sipahi
sipahi (Ottoman Turkish: سپاهی sipâhi, Turkish pronunciation: [sipaːhi]) were two types of Ottoman cavalry corps, including the fief-holding provincial timarli sipahi, which constituted most of the army, and the regular kapikulu sipahi, palace troops. Other types of cavalry which were not regarded sipahi were the irregular akıncı ("raiders"). The sipahi formed their own distinctive social classes, and were notably in rivalry with the Janissaries, the elite corps of the Sultan.
It was also the title given to several cavalry units serving in the French and Italian colonial armies during the 19th and 20th centuries (see Spahi).
Name
The word is derived from Persian sepâhi (سپاهی,), meaning "soldier". The term is also transliterated as spahi and spahee; rendered in other languages as: spahiu (in Albanian), spahis (Σπαχής, in Greek), spahija or spahiya (in Serbo-Croatian, Bulgarian and Macedonian; Cyrillic спахија, спахия). Sipahi is derived from the same root as the word "sepoy".
Description
Sipahi (caste)
The Sipahi are a Muslim community found in the state of Gujarat in India . They are also known as Kasbatis, especially in Baroda.
History and origin
The word sipahi means a soldier in the Turkish language, while the word Kasbati means a town dweller. Both these terms refer to an endogamous Gujarati Muslim community of a mixed origin. Some Sipahis claim Rajput ancestry, while others especially in Saurashtra claim to be converted Kolis. They were established in various parts of Gujarat in the 17th, 18th and 19th Century, and served as soldiers in the armies of the various rulers in the west India.
Present circumstances
The Sipahis of Saurashtra are known as Chadivati Sipahi, while those in north Gujarat are known as Kasbatis. They have a number of clans, the main ones being the Sayyid, Mughal, Qureshi, Shaikh, Pathan, Parmar, Ghori, Rathore, Kokwana, Bhelim, Khokhar and Soomra. Some of these clans claim Arab ancestry, and those of the Sayyid divisions are considered superior over other groups.
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