Ali Çetinkaya, also known as " Kel" Ali Bey (1878 – 21 February 1949) was an Ottoman-born

Turkish Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...

army officer and politician, who served eight terms in the

Grand National Assembly of Turkey The Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( ), usually referred to simply as the GNAT or TBMM, also referred to as , in Turkish, is the Unicameralism, unicameral Turkey, Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by ...

, including a period in 1939–40 as his country's first Minister of Transport.

Biography

He was born in Kara Hisâr-i Sâhib (present day

Afyonkarahisar Afyonkarahisar (, 'poppy, opium', ''kara'' 'black', ''hisar'' 'fortress') is a major city in western Turkey. It is the administrative centre of Afyonkarahisar Province and Afyonkarahisar District. Its population is 251,799 (2021). Afyon is in the ...

) in

Hüdavendigâr Vilayet The Hüdavendigâr Vilayet () or Bursa Vilayet after its administrative centre, was a first-level administrative division (vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire. At the beginning of the 20th century it reportedly had an area of .Ottoman Military Academy The Turkish Military Academy () or as it is known historically and popularly Harbiye is a four-year co-educational military academy and part of the National Defence University. It is located in the center of Ankara, Turkey. Its mission is ...

(''Mekteb-i Füsûn-u Harbiyye-i Şâhâne'' ) In 1898 he graduated academy and joined the Ottoman military as a Second Lieutenant (''Mülâzım-ı Sani'' ). During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he served for the army in the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

and Galicia fronts. When the Greek forces were landing at Smyrna on May 15, 1919, he was a lieutenant colonel and the commander of the Ottoman 172nd Infantry Regiment stationed in the Aegean coastal town of

Ayvalık Ayvalık (), formerly also known as Kydonies (), is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Balıkesir Province, Turkey. Its area is 305 km2, and its population is 75,126 (2024). It is a seaside town on the northwestern Aegean Se ...

. His regiment was under the command of the 56th Division of Hurrem Bey. Ali played a key role in the first stage of the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922, starting with the opening battle against the occupying Greek forces. He was briefly able to hold back the advance into the city of Greek occupation forces. His action is considered to mark the first shots fired by regular forces in the 1919–22 Greco-Turkish War which was part of the wider

Turkish War of Independence , strength1 = May 1919: 35,000November 1920: 86,000Turkish General Staff, ''Türk İstiklal Harbinde Batı Cephesi'', Edition II, Part 2, Ankara 1999, p. 225August 1922: 271,000Celâl Erikan, Rıdvan Akın: ''Kurtuluş Savaşı tarih ...

, although there were earlier confrontations in which irregular militias participated, including the battle involving

Hasan Tahsin Hasan Tahsin was the code name of Osman Nevres (1888 – 15 May 1919), a Turkish nationalist, patriot, and journalist of Dönmeh descent. Hailed as a Turkish war hero, his name has been given by the Turkish Armed Forces to the Information ...

İzmir İzmir is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, and is the capital of İzmir Province. In 2024, the city of İzmir had ...

, as well as actions in Urla and

Ödemiş Ödemiş () is a municipality and district of İzmir Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,019 km2, and its population is 132,740 (2022). It is located 113 km southeast of the city of İzmir. About 4 km north of Ödemiş town are the ru ...

. The hill in Ayvalık from where the first shots were fired is now called İlk Kurşun Tepesi (First Bullet Hill). Today there is a military rehabilitation center on that hill for

Turkish Army The Turkish Land Forces () is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for Army, land-based military operations. The army was formed on November 8, 1920, after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Significant campaigns since the ...

soldiers. After the war, Ali Çetinkaya was elected to

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

for eight successive terms and served until 1942, holding ministerial posts in six different governments, including, with the formation of a Ministry of Transport, becoming

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

's first Minister of Transport. Ali Çetinkaya died in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

in the year of his 71st birthday. Ali Çetinkaya is considered a hero in Turkey.

Cunda Island __NOTOC__ Cunda Island, also called Alibey Island, (), Greek Moschonisi ( or Μοσχόνησος), is the largest of the Ayvalık Islands archipelago in Turkey, which was historically called the ''Εκατόνησα'' (''Hekatonisa'') or '' ...

of Ayvalık was renamed Alibey Adası (Ali Bey Island) after him, although the old name remains in common use. File:Ali Cetinkaya.jpg, Another image of Ali Çetinkaya in the 1920s File:Three members of the Independence Tribunal.jpg, Three members of the

Independence Tribunal An Independence Tribunal (, plural ''İstiklâl Mahkemeleri'') was a court invested with superior authority and the first were established in 1920 during the Turkish War of Independence in order to prosecute those who were against the system of ...

References

Ali Çetinkaya biographical sketch at ''Biyografi.info'' (includes small photograph)

External links

* Hasan Kundakçı
"Ali Çetinkaya'yı Anarken"
''Atatürk Araştırma Merkezi Dergisi'', Sayı 38, Cilt: XIII, Temmuz 1997 {{DEFAULTSORT:Cetinkaya, Ali Date of birth unknown 1878 births 1949 deaths People from Afyonkarahisar People from Hüdavendigâr vilayet Republican People's Party (Turkey) politicians Government ministers of Turkey Ministers of transport and communications of Turkey Ministers of public works of Turkey Deputies of Afyonkarahisar Ottoman Army officers Turkish Army officers Ottoman military personnel of the Balkan Wars Ottoman military personnel of World War I Turkish military personnel of the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) Members of the Special Organization (Ottoman Empire) Malta exiles Ottoman Military Academy alumni Recipients of the Medal of Independence with Red-Green Ribbon (Turkey) Members of the 7th government of Turkey Members of the 8th government of Turkey Members of the 9th government of Turkey Members of the 10th government of Turkey Members of the 11th government of Turkey Members of the 12th government of Turkey