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Efe

Efe, efe or EFE may refer to one of the following:

Efe (zeybek)

The Efe were the leaders of Turkish irregular soldiers and guerillas from the Aegean Region of Turkey, called the Zeybeks and Kızan. There are several theories about the origins of the word Efe.

The organization of the Efe and Zeybeks were first seen in the 16th century during the Jelali revolts which dismantled power throughout the Ottoman Empire. After that time, men who rebelled against local pressures and injustices and settled in the mountains were called Efe or Zeybek. The Efe were distinctive in their attire, weapons and general appearance, which were created for survival and to best suit the life of an Efe. For example, they wore shorter trousers than were common at the time, and a yataghan with only one side with a sharpened point which was useful in mêlée combat.

After the World War I Efes were known for leading their bands of Zeybeks in guerrilla strikes against the Greek forces during the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922), before voluntarily joining the newly formed national army in the Turkish War of Independence. After the declaration of the Republic, Efe groups were awarded with The Medallion of Independence for their participation in the war. Most Efe leaders received military ranks and pensions for their services. When they retired after the foundation of the new Turkish Republic in 1923, they resettled in the cities of western Anatolia.

The most widely known Efes are Yörük Ali Efe, Demirci Mehmet Efe, Kıllıoğlu Hüseyin Efe, Postlu Mestan Efe, Atçalı Kel Mehmet Efe, Molla Ahmet Efe, Saçlı Efe, Gökçen Huseyin Efe, Mesutlu Mestan Efe, and Çakırcalı Mehmet Efe, and Efe Karanci.

Usage examples of "efe".

He might have to take a new identity to keep the Geneva account going, work from Paris or West Berlin, give up his Efe in America.

Even Karan Mang seemed interested, though Efe, seated on a stump with one child between her knees, the other at her breast, had closed her eyes to blissful slits.

While he was speaking, Efe had gotten to her feet, and she was breaking camp.

Mama Efe squatted down near Cassia, poking with a stick into the ashes, searching for embers from the bonfire.

In groups such as the Efe and Aka Pygmies of central Africa, allomothers actually hold children and carry them about.

Westerners tend to regard the practices of the Efe and the Aka as exotic.