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Glite Dictionary
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rayah

rayah

9.9
A person who paid taxes and had no special rights in the Ottoman Empire
  • noun
  • /ˈreɪə/
  • Archaic
translation icon : rayah
  • In the Ottoman Empire, the rayah had to pay taxes but often lacked basic rights as subjects.

Examples

  • Historical records describe the rayah as the backbone of the empire's agricultural economy.

  • The sultan's policies often affected the daily lives of the rayah across the provinces.

  • In the Ottoman Empire, the rayah were required to pay taxes to the ruling class.

  • The rayah paid taxes to the Ottoman authorities.

  • Many rayahs lived under the rule of the sultan.

  • During the reign of the sultans, the rayah often faced oppression and were treated unfairly.

  • The struggles of the rayah highlight the complex relationships between different communities in the empire.

Synonyms

dhimmi
vsrayah
1 9.9

A person who is not Muslim living under Islamic rule, protected but paying a special tax and facing some restrictions

is specific to a non-privileged taxpaying subject in the Ottoman Empire
zimmi
vsrayah
  • Specialized
9.9

A person not Muslim who lives under Muslim rule with protection and often pays a special tax

is specific to a non-privileged taxpaying subject in the Ottoman Empire

Surface Forms

rayah singular
rayahs plural

Etymology

Rayah comes from the Arabic word ra'iyya, which means 'flock' or 'people under care', and this brings to mind a shepherd and his flock to remember ordinary people. That's why rayah came to mean the common, tax-paying subjects in the Ottoman Empire.