The Efe were the leaders of

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

irregular soldiers and

guerillas Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tactic ...

from the

Aegean Region The Aegean Region () is one of the 7 Geographical regions of Turkey, geographical regions of Turkey. The largest city in the region is İzmir. Other big cities are Manisa, Aydın, Denizli, Muğla, Afyonkarahisar and Kütahya. Located in w ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

, called the

Zeybeks Zeybeks, sometimes spelled as Zeibeks ( el, Ζεϊμπέκοι ''Zeibekoi''; ota, زیبك, zeybek), were irregular militia and guerrilla fighters living in West Anatolia from late 17th to early 20th centuries. History The origins of Zeybe ...

and Kızan. There are several theories about the origins of the word ''Efe''. The organization of the Efe and

were first seen in the 16th century during the

Jelali revolts The Celali rebellions ( tr, Celalî ayaklanmaları), were a series of rebellions in Anatolia of irregular troops led by bandit chiefs and provincial officials known as ''celalî'', ''celâli'', or ''jelālī'', against the authority of the Ottoman ...

which dismantled power throughout the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. After that time, men who rebelled against local pressures and injustices and settled in the mountains were called ''Efe'' or ''Zeybek''. The Efe were distinctive in their attire, weapons and general appearance, which were created for survival and to best suit the life of an Efe. For example, they wore shorter trousers than were common at the time, and a

yataghan The yatagan, yataghan or ataghan (from Turkish ''yatağan''), also called varsak, is a type of Ottoman knife or short sabre used from the mid-16th to late 19th centuries. The yatagan was extensively used in Ottoman Turkey and in areas under imm ...

with only one side with a sharpened point which was useful in

mêlée A melee ( or , French: mêlée ) or pell-mell is disorganized hand-to-hand combat in battles fought at abnormally close range with little central control once it starts. In military aviation, a melee has been defined as " air battle in which ...

combat. After the

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Efes were known for leading their bands of Zeybeks in guerrilla strikes against the Greek forces during the

Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922) There have been several Greco-Turkish Wars: *Greek War of Independence (1821–1830), against the Ottoman Empire *Undeclared war in 1854 during the Crimean War, with Greek irregulars invading Ottoman Epirus (Epirus Revolt of 1854) and Thessaly * Fir ...

, before voluntarily joining the newly formed national army in the

Turkish War of Independence The Turkish War of Independence "War of Liberation", also known figuratively as ''İstiklâl Harbi'' "Independence War" or ''Millî Mücadele'' "National Struggle" (19 May 1919 – 24 July 1923) was a series of military campaigns waged by th ...

. After the declaration of the Republic, Efe groups were awarded with The Medallion of Independence for their participation in the war. Most Efe leaders received military ranks and pensions for their services. When they retired after the foundation of the new

Turkish Republic Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

in 1923, they resettled in the cities of western

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

. The most widely known Efes are

Yörük Ali Efe Yörük Ali Efe (1895 – 23 September 1951) was a Turkish guerilla leader in the Ottoman Empire, and an officer in the Turkish Army during the Turkish War of Independence. He was an important leader in Kuva-yi Milliye of the Aegean Region. Afte ...

Demirci Mehmet Efe Demirci is a town and district of Manisa Province in the Aegean region of Turkey. According to the 2000 census, population of the district is 59,314, of which 21,230 live in the town of Demirci. The district covers an area of , and the town lies ...

, Kıllıoğlu Hüseyin Efe, Postlu Mestan Efe,

Atçalı Kel Mehmet Efe Atçalı can refer to: * Atçalı, Çorum * Atçalı Kel Mehmet Atçalı Kel Mehmet Efe (1780–1830) was a Zeibeks, Zeybek, who led a local revolt against the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman's authority and established control of the Aydın region for ...

Molla Ahmet Efe Molla may refer to: People * Abdul Quader Molla (1948–2013), Bangladeshi Islamist leader, writer and politician convicted and executed for war crimes * Abdur Razzak Molla (born 1944), Indian politician * Atukuri Molla (1440–1530), Telugu poet ...

, Saçlı Efe,

Gökçen Huseyin Efe Gökçen is a Turkish given name which means "beautiful woman", "blue-eyed woman", or "belonging to the sky", and may refer to: Given names * Gökçen Denkel (born 1985), Turkish female volleyball player * Gökçen Efe (1881–1919), Turkish fol ...

, Mesutlu Mestan Efe, and

Çakırcalı Mehmet Efe Çakırcalı Mehmet Efe (1872–1911) was a Zeybek, who was active as an outlaw in the region enclosing İzmir, Aydın, Denizli, Muğla and Antalya in modern western Turkey, from 1893 to 1910. Born in Ödemiş in 1871, he went out to the Aegean ...

, and Efe Karanci.

References

{{commons category, Efe (zeybek leader)
Views of the "outlaw concept" in comparative perspective: "The American West" and the "Zeybeks" in the Turk lands
: Lectures on Central Asia,

H.B. Paksoy HB or Hb may refer to: Academia * H-b index, an extension of the h-index used in determining academic impact * H-B Woodlawn, a secondary education program in Arlington, Virginia, US * Hathaway Brown School, an all-girls private school in Shaker He ...

Turkish culture Titles Zeybeks Turkish words and phrases de:Efe (Titel)

See also

References