Zecora as a bashibazouk (Ottoman irregular soldier), based on a 1869 painting by Jean-Lon Grme.

Hired as mercenaries during military campaigns, bashibazouks were infamous for their viciousness and lack of discipline. Neither salaried like the janissaries nor enfiefed like the sipahis, bashibazouks often resorted to robbing and pillaging the countryside to supplement their income.

For the unfortunate civilians both in and out of Ottoman rule, these ruffians were the face of Turkish terror.