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{{Military ranks of Egypt}}
'''Binbashi''' or '''Bimbashi''' (from {{lang-tr|Binbaşı}}, "chief of a thousand") is a major in the [[Turkish people|Turkish]] army, of which term originated in the [[Ottoman army]]. The title was also used for a major in the [[Egypt under Muhammad Ali and his successors|Khedivial Egypt]]ian army as ''Bimbashi'' (1805–1953). It was also used by the [[Serbian revolution]]aries as ''Bimbaša'' ({{lang-sr-cyr|Бимбаша}}) in 1804-1817.

Since the restructuring of the modern [[Turkish Army]] in 1934, ''Binbaşı'' means [[Major]]; but in the [[Ottoman Army]] (and in the pre-1934 Turkish Army during the early years of the Turkish Republic) the more correct equivalent of the Western rank "Major" was ''Kolağası'' ([[Senior Captain]]), which ranked above ''Yüzbaşı'' ([[Captain (land)|Captain]]) and below ''Binbaşı''. 

"Sağ Kolağası" (Senior Captain [or Major] of the Right Flank) was a higher rank than "Sol Kolağası" (Senior Captain [or Major] of the Left Flank.) ''Sağ'' (sagh) means "right" in Turkish, while ''sol'' means "left."

When the rank ''[[Kolağası]]'' was removed from the Turkish Army in 1934, the rank ''Binbaşı'' was relegated to Major (before 1934, the rank ''Binbaşı'' was also considered an equivalent of [[Lieutenant Colonel]].) Until 1934, it was the duty of a Binbaşı to command a [[battalion]] (''tabur'') in the Ottoman (and pre-1934 Turkish) armies; but since 1934, it is the duty of a ''Yarbay'' (Lieutenant Colonel) to command a battalion.{{citation needed|date=October 2011}}

==See also==
* [[Military of the Ottoman Empire]]
* [[Turkish Army]]

==References==
* Dictionary.com, [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/binbashi Binbashi entry]
* Dunn, John P. "Khedive Ismail's Army" Routledge Press, 2005, [http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0714657042&id=kK2cjAhojt8C&pg=PA156 p. 156]

[[Category:Military ranks of Turkey]]
[[Category:Turkish loanwords]]


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[[ar:بكباشي]]
[[ca:Binbaşı]]
[[sr:Бимбаша]]
[[tr:Binbaşı]]