Kouloughlis

thumb|19th century depiction of a Kouloughli Kouloughlis, also spelled Koulouglis, Cologhlis and Qulaughlis was a term used during the period of Ottoman influence in North Africa that usually designated the mixed offspring of Ottoman officials and janissaries and local women.

== Etymology == In Ottoman Turkish, kuloğlu is a compound of kul and oğlu, literally “son of a kul.” While Some scholars define Kouloughli as "soldier", in academic discussions of Ottoman governance, kul is glossed by others as “slave”, especially for personnel recruited through the devşirme system and attached to the sultan’s household service. Some scholarship therefore translates kuloğlu literally as “son of a slave.” At the same time, historians of Ottoman slavery note that using “slave” for kul can be misleading in certain contexts, since this status could be associated with elite service and high office rather than ordinary chattel slavery.