Horse tail
The horse's tail ( Ottoman طوغ İA ṭuġ ; alsoتوغ / tuġ ) is a symbol of dignity that has been used in the Ottoman Empire for around 400 years.
The horse's tail has always been used by the equestrian peoples of Central Asia, by Tatars , Turkic peoples and Mongols . In the latter, it has symbolic meaning and is also used for the strings and bow covering of the horse's head violin . The badge, which was initially placed on an unadorned pole, presumably marked the location of a rider's guide at the time of its appearance. When the horse's tail became a symbol and badge of rank for high Ottoman dignitaries, the craftsmanship of the badge also became more complex. The horse's tail was now attached to the upper end of a partially turned wooden shaft that was hollowed out in the lower part. This was covered with a patterned network of differently colored horse hair. The top was adorned with a golden ball. Some specimens of these horse tails can be found in the Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe in the collection of Karlsruher Türkenbeute as well as in the Turkish Wars room area in the Vienna Army History Museum .
The number of horse tails that a dignitary was allowed to lead in the Ottoman Empire depended on his place in the hierarchy : the sultan claimed six, in the event of war up to nine horse tails. The Grand Vizier deserved five, the Viziers three. The Grand Governors ( Beylerbeyi ) of Anatolia (Asian part of the Ottoman Empire) and Rumeli (European part) were awarded two horse tails. Pashas wore two, in rare cases of personal distinction also three horse tails. The governors ( Bey or Sancakbey ) of the sub-provinces were marked with a horse's tail. The commanders ( ağa ) of the janissaries were tied with the pashas, which is why they were also entitled to two to three horse tails.
The use of horse tails ended with a decree by Sultan Mahmud II (1785 / 1808–1839).
Web links
- The national emblems (flags and horse tails) of the Ottomans. (PDF; 99 kB) Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe
Individual evidence
- ^ Army History Museum / Military History Institute (ed.): The Army History Museum in the Vienna Arsenal . Verlag Militaria, Vienna 2016, ISBN 978-3-902551-69-6 , p. 26 f.