Dizdar

Dizdar (Persian: دیزدار, romanized: dizdār; Turkish: dizdar, kale muhafızı) was the title given in the Ottoman Empire to a castle warden or fortress commander, appointed to manage troops and keep the fortress in its role as a defence point.

The word is of Persian origin, meaning gatekeeper, watchman, guardsman or castellan.

As a commanding person, dizdar had his deputy, called chekhaya (Turkish: kâhya), and other subordinates (e.g. yasakci).

His superiors were captain, sanjakbeg and other senior military officers.

In 1839 after the Tanzimat reforms, the Ottoman Empire abolished captaincies; the titles like captain and dizdar ceased to exist.