Bab-i Ser'askeri (Ottoman War Department)

Bab-i Ser'askeri, or Ser'asker Qapisi, was the name of the War Department in the Ottoman Empire in the nineteenth century. After the destruction of the Janissaries in 1241/1826, the Agha of the Janissaries was replaced by a new commanding officer, the Ser'asker — an old title formerly given to army commanders. As applied by Mahmud II it came to connote an officer combining the functions of commander-in-chief and minister of war, with special responsibility for the new-style army. He also inherited from the Agha responsibility for public security, firefighting and the like in the capital; in a period of growing centralisation and enforced change this function grew in importance, the maintenance and extension of the police system becoming one of the Ser'asker's chief duties. In 1262/1845 the police were taken from his jurisdiction and placed under a separate department, the Zabtiyye Mushiriyyeti. ¹

Mahmud II at first lodged the Ser'askerate in the old Saray, from which the few remaining parts of the Imperial Household were moved to the new Saray; later, in 1282/1865, new buildings were provided for the Ser'asker and his staff. The old name Ser'askerate was replaced by Ministry of War (Harbiyye) briefly in 1297/1879-80 and permanently in 1324/1908. These buildings remained the seat of the ministry until the capital moved to Ankara, when they were handed over to the University of Istanbul. ¹