Kolağası

Military ranks of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman
ranks		 Western
equivalents
Officers
Müşir
مشير		 Field marshal
Birinci Ferik (Serdar)
فريق أول		 General
Ferik
فريق		 Lieutenant general
Mirliva
لواء		 Major general
Miralay
أمير آلاي		 Brigadier
Kaymakam
قائم مقام		 Colonel
Binbaşı
بكباشي		 Lieutenant colonel
Kolağası
(Sağ Kolağası / Sol Kolağası)
صاغ		 Major
Yüzbaşı
يوزباشي		 Captain
Mülâzım-ı Evvel
ملازم أول		 First lieutenant
Mülâzım-ı Sani
ملازم ثاني		 Second lieutenant
Non-commissioned officers
Çavuş
شاويش		 Sergeant
Onbaşı
أونباشي		 Corporal
Soldiers
Nefer
عسكري		 Private
Military ranks of Egypt
Turco-Egyptian
ranks (until 1958)		 Modern
Egyptian ranks		 Western
equivalents
Officers
Mushir
مشير		 General of the army/
field marshal
Sirdar
سردار		 Fariq awwal
فريق أول		 General
Fariq
فريق		 Lieutenant general
Liwa
لواء		 Major general
Amiralay
أمير آلاي		 Amid
عميد		 Brigadier
Qaimaqam
قائم مقام		 Aqid
عقيد		 Colonel
Bimbashi
بكباشي		 Muqaddam
مقدم		 Lieutenant colonel
Sagh
صاغ		 Raid
رائد		 Major
Yuzbashi
يوزباشي		 Naqib
نقيب		 Captain
Mulazim awwal
ملازم أول		 First lieutenant
Mulazim thani
ملازم ثاني		 Mulazim
ملازم		 Second lieutenant
Non-commissioned officers
Shawish
شاويش		 Raqib
رقيب		 Sergeant
Ombashi
أونباشي		 Arif
عريف		 Corporal
Soldiers
Askari
عسكري		 Jundi
جندي		 Private

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)[1] or an Adjutant Major.[2] Kol Ağası is a compound word composed of Kol (column in Turkish) and Ağa (chief in Turkish).

The rank was junior to the rank Binbaşı (originally corresponding to the Western rank of Lieutenant Colonel until 1934, the Turkish rank Binbaşı was later relegated to Major due to the removal of the rank Kolağası (Önyüzbaşı)), and senior to the rank Yüzbaşı (Captain) 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

  1. ↑ Kolağası, Turkish Language Association
  2. ↑ Erik Jan Zürcher, The Unionist Factor: The Role of the Committee of Union and Progress in the Turkish National Movement, 1905-1926, BRILL, 1984, ISBN 978-90-04-07262-6, p. 64.

See also