''Kolağası'' (also written as ''Kol Ağası'', ''Kol Aghasi'') was a military rank of the Ottoman Army. It corresponds to a Senior Captain ( modern Turkish: ''Kıdemli Yüzbaşı'') or an Adjutant

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

. Erik Jan Zürcher, ''The Unionist Factor: The Role of the Committee of Union and Progress in the Turkish National Movement, 1905-1926'', BRILL, 1984,
p. 64.
/ref> ''Kol Ağası'' is a compound word composed of ''Kol'' (

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...

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 ...

) and '' Ağa'' (chief in

). The rank was junior to the rank '' Binbaşı'' (originally corresponding to the Western 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 ...

until 1934, the Turkish rank ''Binbaşı'' was later relegated to

due to the removal of the rank ''Kolağası'' (''Önyüzbaşı'')), and senior to the rank ''Yüzbaşı'' (

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

) in the Ottoman Army and the pre-1934 Turkish Army. Despite being a single rank, ''Kolağası'' was divided in two: ''Sağ Kolağası'' (Kolağası of the Right Flank) and ''Sol Kolağası'' (Kolağası of the Left Flank). ''Sağ Kolağası'' was senior to ''Sol Kolağası''. After the rank of ''Yüzbaşı'' (Captain), an officer had to first become ''Sol Kolağası'', before becoming ''Sağ Kolağası''. The rank of ''Kolağası'' was briefly renamed as ''Önyüzbaşı'' during the early years of the Turkish Republic, before being completely removed. The collar mark (later shoulder mark) and cap of a ''Kolağası'' (''Önyüzbaşı'') had one stripe and three stars during the early years of the Turkish Republic.

Sources

See also