Yörük Ali Efe (1895 – 23 September 1951) was a

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 ...

guerilla leader 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) ...

, and an officer in the

Turkish Army The Turkish Land Forces ( tr, Türk Kara Kuvvetleri), or Turkish Army (Turkish: ), is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The army was formed on November 8, 1920, after the collapse of the ...

during 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 ...

. He was an important leader in

Kuva-yi Milliye The Kuva-yi Milliye ( ota, قواى مليه; 'National Forces' or 'Nationalist Forces') were irregular Turkish militia forces active in the early period of the Turkish War of Independence. These irregular forces emerged after the occupation of ...

of 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 ...

. After the declaration of republic he resigned from his office and worked as a

farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mig ...

and

industrialist A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...

. He was one of the last

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 ...

Turkish history :''See History of the Republic of Turkey for the history of the modern state.'' The history of Turkey, understood as the history of the region now forming the territory of the Republic of Turkey, includes the history of both Anatolia (the Asia ...

Early years

Ali was born in Kavaklı, a village near Sultanhisar in

Aydın Aydın ( ''EYE-din''; ; formerly named ''Güzelhisar'', Ancient and Modern Greek: Τράλλεις /''Tralleis''/) is a city in and the seat of Aydın Province in Turkey's Aegean Region. The city is located at the heart of the lower valley of B ...

, in 1895. His father, İbrahimoğlu Abdi, belonged to the Sarıtekeli clan, and his mother Fatma, to the Atmaca clan, both Yörük clans. His father died when he was an infant. During his childhood, he was influenced by

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 ...

and wanted to become a Zeybek. In 1916, he was recruited into 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 participated in 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 ...

. Due to the inefficient leadership, he deserted the army after the disastrous

Battle of Sarikamish The Battle of Sarikamish (''Sarighamishi chakatamart''), russian: Сражение при Сарыкамыше; tr, Sarıkamış Harekatı, lit=''Operation Sarıkamış'' was an engagement between the Russian and Ottoman empires during World W ...

, and returned to his village.

On the mountains

Yörük Ali joined a Zeybek group under the command of Alanyalı Molla Ahmet Efe and started to live in

mountains. His courage, intelligence and talent assured him increasing popularity among group members and when Alanyalı died in an ambush in Kavaklıdere near

Karacasu Karacasu is a town and a district of Aydın Province in the Aegean region of Turkey, from the city of Aydın. Formerly known as "Yenişehir", Karacasu is reached by turning off the Aydın - Denizli road south-east at Kuyucak and following the ...

, he took the command of his group and became an "

Efe Agencia EFE, S.A. () is a Spanish international news agency, the major multimedia news agency in Spanish language and the world's fourth largest wire service after the Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse. EFE was created in 1939 ...

Fighting for independence

On 15 May 1919, Greek forces captured İzmir and immediately set out to occupy a larger territory in Turkey's

. Yöruk Ali organized meetings with the cooperation of other Efes in the region such as "" and grouped most zeybeks of Aydın region under his command. On 16 June 1919 he made a surprise attack on a Greek garrison based in Malgaç train station. The garrison was completely destroyed and ammunition and supplies were captured. This was the first victory for the Turkish side in

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 ...

. Following a decision made in common by all Efes of

, Yörük Ali and the zeybeks under his command attacked Aydın to recapture the town. On 30 June, his militias entered the city and held it for four days. But the reinforced

Greek Army The Hellenic Army ( el, Ελληνικός Στρατός, Ellinikós Stratós, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece. The term ''Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is the ...

re-occupied the city on 4 June. Yoruk Ali continued the

guerilla warfare 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 tac ...

against the Greek Army until his forces were enrolled within the ranks of the re-organized

. In November 1920,Yoruk Ali Efe was assigned by the

Turkish National Assembly The Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( tr, ), usually referred to simply as the TBMM or Parliament ( tr, or ''Parlamento''), is the unicameral Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Consti ...

to form a battalion under his command and was given the

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

's rank. His group voluntarily joined the Turkish Army under the appellation, "Aydın National Regiment" (''"Milli Aydın Alayı"''). He served as a

throughout the

After the war

He resigned from his office soon after the declaration of the

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 ...

and lived in İzmir for 6 years. In 1928 he moved to Yenipazar, where he lived until his death. His name became "Ali Efe Yörük" after the

Surname Law Surname law can refer to any law regulating the use of surnames. Canada From 1941 to 1978, the Government of Canada issued disc numbers to identify Inuit in their records. In the mid-1960s Project Surname began, and, headed by Abe Okpik, Inuit w ...

, which was passed in 1934. He had lost his legs in a tragic accident in

İzmir İzmir ( , ; ), also spelled Izmir, is a metropolitan city in the western extremity of Anatolia, capital of the province of the same name. It is the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara and the second largest urban agglo ...

when he had fallen under a tram. He died in Bursa, where he went for medical treatment, and was buried in Yenipazar in compliance with his will.

Legacy

He was one of the last

and remain as a notable

. His contributions to

and to the establishment of the

were also remarkable. He is also remembered with his generous personality and his fight for justice under all circumstances. After his death, his house in Yenipazar was converted to Yoruk Ali Efe Museum in 2001. His grave is in the garden of that museum.

Quotes

* "Some people believe that

was achieved by me and with some others. This is wrong. What can be the importance of one man or five men in such a great campaign? Any patriot who loved his motherland in those days had thought in the same way as ourselves, heard what we heard and then fought with us. It is a mistake to take the

Lion's share The lion's share is an idiomatic expression which now refers to the major share of something. The phrase derives from the plot of a number of fables ascribed to Aesop and is used here as their generic title. There are two main types of story, wh ...

in national resistance. How can one hand give a noise?"

Efe of all efes

He is a hero in modern

and was given the name "Efelerin Efesi" (Efe of all Efes), whereas an Efe is already the leader of a group of zeybeks. There is a folk song (''

türkü Turkish folk music (''Türk Halk Müziği'') is the traditional music of Turkish people living in Turkey influenced by the cultures of Anatolia and former territories in Europe and Asia. Its unique structure includes regional differences under ...

'') written to his honour and carries his name. The lyrics of Yörük Ali's türkü are as follows (with English translation): ,

Şu Dalama'dan geçtin mi,
Soğuk da sular içtin mi
Efelerin içinde
Yörük de Ali'yi seçtin mi?

Hey gidinin efesi, efesi
Efelerin efesi

Şu Dalama'nın çeşmesi
Ne hoş olur içmesi
Yörük de Ali'yi sorarsan
Efelerin seçmesi

Hey gidinin efesi efesi
Efelerin efesi

Cepkenimin kolları
Parıldıyor pulları
Yörük de Ali geliyor
Açıl Aydın yolları

Hey gidinin efesi efesi
Efelerin efesi , Translation
Have you passed from the Dalama,
Have you drank from its coldest waters,
Out of all the Efes,
Have you found Yörük Ali?

O efe's efe, the efe...
The efe of all efes

That Dalama's fountain
How sweet it is to drink from,
But if you ask about Yörük Ali,
He is the chosen efe

O efe's efe, the efe...
The efe of all efes

The sleeves of my cepken (Efe jacket),
It is shining with its little puls,
Yörük Ali is coming!
Clear all, of Aydin's roads!

O efe's efe, the efe...
The efe of all efes

Source

* Burhan, Sabahattin (1999). Ege'nin Kurtuluş Destanı Yörük Ali Efe Cilt: 1. Nesil Yayınları.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ali, Yoruk People from Aydın Zeybeks Members of Kuva-yi Milliye 1951 deaths 1895 births