Yörük Ali Efe (1886 – 23 September 1951) was a

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 ...

guerrilla leader in the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

, and an officer in the

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 ...

during the

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 ...

. He was an important leader in

Kuva-yi Milliye The Kuva-yi Milliye (; '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 the parts of Turkey by t ...

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 ...

and

industrialist A business magnate, also known as an industrialist or tycoon, is a person who is a powerful entrepreneur and investor who controls, through personal enterprise ownership or a dominant shareholding position, a firm or industry whose goods or ser ...

. He was one of the last

Zeybeks Zeybeks, sometimes spelled as Zeibeks ( ''Zeibekoi''; ), were irregular military, irregular militia and guerrilla fighters living in West Anatolia from late 17th to early 20th centuries. History Origins The origins of Zeybeks are debated with ...

Turkish history The history of Turkey, understood as the history of the area now forming the territory of the Republic of Turkey, includes the history of both Anatolia (the Asian part of Turkey) and Eastern Thrace (the European part of Turkey). These two prev ...

Early years

Ali was born in Kavaklı, a village near

Sultanhisar Sultanhisar is a municipality and district of Aydın Province, Turkey. Its area is 220 km2, and its population is 20,230 (2022). It is 30 km east of the city of Aydın on the road to Denizli. History The first settlement here was the ...

Aydın Aydın ( ''EYE-din''; ; formerly named ''Güzelhisar; Greek: Τράλλεις)'' 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 Büyük Menderes River (ancient ...

, in 1886. 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 Zeybek who led a local revolt against Ottoman authority and established control of the Aydın region for a short period between 1829 a ...

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

Ottoman Army The Military of the Ottoman Empire () was the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire. It was founded in 1299 and dissolved in 1922. Army The Military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the years ...

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 Dict ...

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

Battle of Sarikamish The Battle of Sarikamish was an engagement between the Russian Empire, Russian and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empires during World War I. It took place from December 22, 1914, to January 17, 1915, as part of the Caucasus campaign. The battle resul ...

, and returned to his village.

On the mountains

Yörük Ali joined a Zeybek group under the command of

Alanyalı Molla Ahmet Efe Alanyalı is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Toroslar, Mersin Province, Turkey. Its population is 132 (2022). It is situated in the Taurus Mountains The Taurus Mountains (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Toros Dağları'' or '' ...

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 municipality and district of Aydın Province, Turkey. Its area is 727 km2, and its population is 17,620 (2022). It is from the city of Aydın. Formerly known as "Yenişehir", Karacasu is reached by turning off the Aydın - Den ...

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

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

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: * Orlov revolt (1770) Greeks' first major, organized Revolt against the Ottoman Empire with the support of Russia *Greek War of Independence (1821–1830), against the Ottoman Empire * First Greco-Turkish ...

. 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 (, 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 largest of the three branches of the Hellenic Armed F ...

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

guerilla warfare Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include recruited children, use ambushes, sabotage, terrorism ...

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 ( ), 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 Constitut ...

to form a battalion under his command and was given the

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

'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 Turkish Republic may refer to: * Turkey, archaically the "Turkish Republic" * Northern Cyprus Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a ''de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the ...

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 The Surname Law () of the Republic of Turkey is a law adopted on 21 June 1934, requiring all citizens of Turkey to adopt the use of fixed, hereditary surnames. Prior to 1934, Turkish families in the major urban centres had names by which they were ...

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

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 ...

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 Aesop's Fables, fables ascribed to Aesop and is used here as their generic title. There are two main typ ...

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 () 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 one umbrella. It includ ...

'') 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

References

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