Memories of a Turkish Statesman, 1913-1919

by Pasha Ahmed Djemal

Overview

MY personal participation in general politics in the Ottoman Empire begins with the coup d’état of January 23, 1913.

On the evening of that day I left the headquarters of the Lines of Communication Inspectorate and went to the Sublime Porte, to which a great crowd was flocking at the time.

At that moment Mahmud Shefket Pasha, who had been appointed Grand Vizier a few hours before, returned from the Imperial Palace and met me at the entrance to the Grand Vizier’s palace.

He had hardly seen me before he called out: “Djemal Bey, I want you to take over the Military Governorship of Constantinople at once and you must not lose a minute in taking all measures you think necessary for the preservation of order and confidence in the capital.”

As I have said, my assumption of the highly important and equally responsible office of Military Governor of Constantinople meant my direct participation in general politics in my Fatherland. I thus find myself compelled to start my memoirs at that point.—Pasha Ahmed Djemal

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781789127980
Publisher:	Arcole Publishing
Publication date:	12/02/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	244
File size:	759 KB

About the Author

Ahmed Djemal Pasha (1872-1922), commonly known as Jamal Basha as-Saffah or Jamal Pasha the Bloodthirsty in the Arab world, was an Ottoman military leader and one-third of the military triumvirate known as the Three Pashas (also called the “Three Dictators”) that ruled the Ottoman Empire during World War I.

Born on May 6, 1872 in Mytilene, Lesbos, to Mehmet Nesip Bey, a military pharmacist, Djemal graduated from Kuleli Military High School in 1890. He went on to the Military Academy (Mektebi Harbiyeyi Şahane), the staff college in Istanbul, in 1893. He was posted to serve with the 1st Department of the Imperial General Staff (Seraskerlik Erkânı Harbiye), and then worked at the Kirkkilise Fortification Construction Department bound to Second Army. Djemal was assigned to the II Corps in 1896. He was appointed two years later as staff commander of the Novice Division, stationed on the Salonica frontier.

In 1905 Djemal was promoted to major and designated Inspector of Roumelia Railways. The following year he signalled his democratic credentials and joined the Ottoman Liberty Society. He became influential in the department of military issues of the Committee of Union and Progress. He became a member of the Board of the III Corps in 1907, working with future Turkish statesmen Major Fethi (Okyar) and Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk).

Between 1908-1918, Djemal was one of the most important leaders of the Ottoman government, serving in the positions of Governor of Constantinople, Imperial Ottoman Naval Minister, and Commander of the Fourth Army in Sinai, Palestine and Syria.

He was assassinated in Tbilisi, Georgian SSR on July 21, 1922, aged 50.