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