Faik Pasha (1876 – 30 August 1916), also known as Ahmed Faik or Sulejmani Faik or by his nicknam "Çolak" Faik, was a general of the

Ottoman Army The military of the Ottoman Empire ( tr, Osmanlı İmparatorluğu'nun silahlı kuvvetleri) was the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire. Army The military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the ...

, and the grandmaster of

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

in 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) ...

Military career

After graduating from Kuleli Military High School, Faik entered the Ottoman Imperial School of Military Engineering (''Mühendishane-i Berrî-i Hümâyûn''). He subsequently graduated from the Ottoman Military College as a staff captain on 17 January 1900, after which he was appointed to the island of Sisam (now known as

Samos Samos (, also ; el, Σάμος ) is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese, and off the coast of western Turkey, from which it is separated by the -wide Mycale Strait. It is also a separate ...

). In 1909, when he was a lieutenant colonel (''Kaymakam''), he was assigned to Debre Mustarrıflığı.

Balkan Wars

He served during the

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan States of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and defe ...

as Chief of Staff of the

VII Corps 7th Corps, Seventh Corps, or VII Corps may refer to: * VII Corps (Grande Armée), a corps of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars * VII Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World War I * VII ...

of the Western Army. The commander was Mirliva Fethi Pasha, who was killed in action while trying to stop the withdrawal of Ottoman soldiers from Koçişte Hill near Monastir in 1912. Faik Bey was promoted to the rank of

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

for his efforts during the battle. He was one of the few successful Ottoman officers of the army during that war. Faik Bey was made commander of 19th Infantry Division. In 1912, the division fought the Greeks in Yanya (now known as Ioanina). Faik Bey became

pasha Pasha, Pacha or Paşa ( ota, پاشا; tr, paşa; sq, Pashë; ar, باشا), in older works sometimes anglicized as bashaw, was a higher rank in the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, gener ...

and the commander of the

Independent Cavalry Division Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

Gallipoli campaign

At the beginning of the Gallipoli campaign, Faik was commander of

II Corps 2nd Corps, Second Corps, or II Corps may refer to: France * 2nd Army Corps (France) * II Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * II Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French ...

. With two divisions, the corps came under the command of

Liman von Sanders Otto Viktor Karl Liman von Sanders (; 17 February 1855 – 22 August 1929) was an Imperial German Army general who served as a military adviser to the Ottoman Army during the First World War. In 1918 he commanded an Ottoman army during the Sin ...

's Fifth Army.

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Weber Pasha Weber (, or ; German: ) is a surname of German origin, derived from the noun meaning " weaver". In some cases, following migration to English-speaking countries, it has been anglicised to the English surname 'Webber' or even 'Weaver'. Notable p ...

wanted Faik Pasha to command the "Right Wing". But Liman von Sanders disliked him and he had a quarrel with Faik Pasha about tactics. Weber Pasha insisted on his decision. At last, unwillingly, von Sanders appointed Faik Pasha to the command of Right Wing. He fought during the

Battle of Gully Ravine The Battle of Gully Ravine (''Zığındere'') was a World War I battle fought at Cape Helles on the Gallipoli peninsula. By June 1915 all thoughts the Allies had of a swift decisive victory over the Ottoman Empire had vanished. The preceding Thi ...

(28 June – 3 July 1915), which was a very bloody battle that resulted in a large number of Ottoman casualties. The casualties of the 3rd Battalion, 70th Regiment, on 2 July 1915, amounted to six officers killed, four wounded and 158 personnel killed. In addition, a further 285 were wounded.

Caucasus campaign

In 1916, Faik commanded the Ottoman II Corps during the

Caucasus campaign The Caucasus campaign comprised armed conflicts between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire, later including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus, the German Empire, the Central Caspian Dicta ...

. He was shot and killed during fighting around the Çavreşi mountains on 30 August 1916.

Freemasonry

During his stay in the Balkans, he was initiated as a

freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

in Resne ( Resen). After the resignment of Grand Master Most Worshipful

Talaat Pasha Mehmed Talaat (1 September 187415 March 1921), commonly known as Talaat Pasha or Talat Pasha,; tr, Talat Paşa, links=no was an Ottoman politician and convicted war criminal of the late Ottoman Empire who served as its leader from 1913 t ...

, Faik was elected as Grand Master on 18 October 1912. Most Worshipfull Grand Master Faik Pasha reigned until 14 April 1913.

Sources

* İsmail Tosun Saral, ''Büyük Üstad Şehid Faik Paşa'' ("Grand Master Faik Pasha the Martyr") {{DEFAULTSORT:Faik 1876 births 1916 deaths People from Veles, North Macedonia Ottoman Imperial School of Military Engineering alumni Ottoman Military College alumni Ottoman military personnel of the Balkan Wars Ottoman military personnel of World War I Ottoman Army generals Pashas Albanians from the Ottoman Empire Ottoman military personnel killed in World War I