Name of Object:

Bashi Bazouk

Location:

Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (Sharjah)

Holding Institution:

Sharjah Art Museum / Sharjah Museums Authority

 About Sharjah Museums Authority, Sharjah

Date of Object:

1855

Author:

Vittorio Amedeo Preziosi (2/12/1816, Malta-27/9/1882, Istanbul)

Inventory Number:

SM 2006 - 217

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Watercolour

Dimensions:

588 mm x 525 mm

Provenance:

Istanbul

Description:

This colourful watercolour, executed by the Istanbul-based, Maltese painter V. A. Preziosi, shows a Bashi Bazouk, a member of the irregular forces of the Ottoman army that came into use in the late 18th century. The bashi bazouk were mercenaries of great ethnic diversity, often from the Balkans, who fought for the Ottomans in hope of plunder, as they were not paid. An attempt by Husrev Pasha in Egypt to disband his Albanian bashi bazouks in favor of his regular forces began the rioting which led to the establishment of Muhammad Ali's rule. The bashi bazouk did not wear regular uniforms. In this case, the flamboyant character depicted here with his formidable moustache wears an astonishing array of clothing: a towering turban with tassles, an embroidered shirt and waistcoat with large open sleeves, a voluminous waistband and trousers. The outfit is finished off by elaborate footwear. A large yatagan dagger is secured in the waistband across the soldier's front, a gun slung across his chest.

Type of Object

Painting

Citation of this web page:

Ulrike al-Khamis "Bashi Bazouk" in "Sharing History", Museum With No Frontiers, 2026.
https://sharinghistory.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;AWE;ua;10;en

Prepared by: Ulrike Al-Khamis

MWNF Working Number: UA 010