The term azep (also azap ; in Ottoman orthography, ʿazeb ) denoted various types of soldiers in the Rum Seljuk (Rūm Saljūq) Empire, the maritime Turcoman principalities of Anatolia, and the Ottoman Empire. It derives from the Arabic word ʿazab , which means "bachelor" or "unmarried man or woman." Azep s served in the armies (as infantry archers) and navies of the Anatolian Turcoman principalities as early as the seventh/thirteenth century. They were recruited from tax-paying Muslim subjects but were exempt from taxes during their service. The Ottomans adopted the same