Janissaries (Ottoman bodyguards) wearing red belts

Shown on Facebook in early January 2014. Reposted here simply for the sake of interest. The caption was: "An illustration of two Ottoman 'janissaries', both of them officers, not ordinary soldiers, from Turkey (these feature 17th/18th c wear). The Sultan had his own bodyguard, the janissaries, to protect him. Sultan Murad I was the first to create the force in 1383.Typically, the janissaries (if of a particular level in the hierarchy) wore red belts. It is not easy to see whether any of them contained carnelians, but at any rate the idea of guards wearing red belts was established, in Turkey (and hence the Ottoman empire) many centuries ago. It is not a huge jump to conjecture that when once the Ottoman conquered the Balkans the idea that bodyguards should wear red belts was introduced in that part of the world. For one place where this image appears (there are several), go to http://www.ottoman-uniforms.com/1600-till-1800-janissary-corps/." I add now that the officer on the right wears a belt that may very well be studded with carnelians from what I could see on an enlarged version, but I do NOT imply that I am sure of that, and fully expect others to disagree. I add this simply for the record, and not so as to provoke discussion.

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Janissaries (Ottoman bodyguards) wearing red belts

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