Eşref Sencer Kuşçubaşı

Eşref Sencer Kuşçubaşı, also known as Kuşçubaşı Eşref (1883, Istanbul – 15 April 1964, Izmir), was a Circassian Turkish intelligence officer and fighter.^[1]

He was the son of Circassian Mustafa Nuri Bey, belonging to the Ubykh tribe. While in his final year at military school, he was exiled to the Hejaz by Abdul Hamid II due to his connections with the Young Turks. He escaped from prison during his exile and managed to kidnap the son of Abdul Hamid II's chief aide-de-camp from the midst of a three-battalion guard. During his rebellion against Abdul Hamid II in Arabia, he traveled throughout Arabia and befriended local sheikhs. Because he could appear anywhere at any time, he was called *sheikh al-tuyyur* (lord of the flying ones).

When Abdul Hamid II was forced to proclaim the constitutional monarchy and granted amnesty to many, including Kuşçubaşı, he ended his rebellion. Together with the loyal comrades-in-arms he had gathered during the rebellion, he joined the newly established intelligence organization, the Special Organization (Teşkilat-ı Mahsusa).

In 1911, he organized resistance movements in Tripolitania with Enver Bey. During the Second Balkan War in 1912, he participated in the liberation of Çorlu, Tekirdağ, Malkara, Hayrabolu, and Edirne alongside Enver Bey, his brother Sami Kuşçubaşı, Cihangiroğlu İbrahim, and Süleyman Askeri. That same year, together with Süleyman Askeri and local notables, he played a role in establishing the first Turkish Republic in Western Thrace under the name Provisional Government of Western Thrace.

With the outbreak of World War I, between 1914 and 1915 he served with the Special Organization in the Arabian Peninsula. Following the death of Süleyman Askeri Bey, he became the head of the Special Organization, a position he held from 1915 to 1918.

During World War I, he commanded advance units in the Second Suez Offensive against the British. In 1917, at Haybar, he fought for over five hours with a 40-man Special Organization unit against the 20,000-strong force of Faisal (later to become King of Iraq) before being wounded and captured. He was exiled to Malta accompanied by a warship and a submarine. During his exile, he wrote a work detailing his adventures in Arabia, his capture, and his life in exile.

It is claimed that after his capture, he told Lawrence: "Lawrence, you think you have won. But nothing is over yet. I will unleash such calamities upon your government that you will not be able to finish them even in two centuries."

He was released under a prisoner exchange agreement signed with the British. He returned to Anatolia by sea and immediately joined the Turkish War of Independence. Throughout 1920, he fought against the Greek occupation in the Kuva-yi Seyyare alongside Çerkes Ethem, whom he had mentored. The successes of the Kuva-yi Milliye around Adapazarı were particularly attributed to him. After Çerkes Ethem rebelled against the Turkish forces and was defeated, he, along with Ethem, sought refuge with the Greek forces.

After the Treaty of Lausanne, he was accused of collaborating with the Greeks and British and, together with Çerkes Ethem, was placed on the list of the "150 personae non gratae", stripped of his citizenship. His entry into Turkey was banned until 1936. Although the 1936 amnesty allowed his return, he stated, "I have never asked for amnesty, I am not a traitor to be pardoned," and did not return to the country.

After the Democrat Party came to power in 1950, he returned to Turkey. Until his return, he resided in Alexandria, Egypt, and it is estimated he did not participate in any intelligence activities during this time. He lived in Turkey from 1950 to 1964, visiting the graves of his comrades-in-arms. He died in 1964. His grave is located near the Yaylaköy Caferli Granta Cemetery on the Söke-Kuşadası road in Aydın.

• *Hayber'de Türk Cengi* (The Turkish Battle at Haybar), ISBN 9753910355

In the 2023 series *Mahsusa: Trablusgarb*, broadcast on Tabii, he is portrayed by Ali Ersan Duru.

1. Turkish Armed Forces General Staff Archives, Southern Front Battles in World War I
2. British Military History Archives, Arabian Region Battles in World War I
3. §, *Trablusgarb'da Bir Avuç Kahraman* (A Handful of Heroes in Tripolitania)
4. Cemal Kutay, *Trakya'da İlk Türk Cumhuriyeti* (The First Turkish Republic in Thrace)
5. Cemal Kutay, *Teşkilat-ı Mahsusa* (The Special Organization)
6. Cemal Kutay, *Lawrence'a Karşı Kuşçubaşı* (Kuşçubaşı Against Lawrence)
7. Philip H. Stoddard, *Teşkilat-ı Mahsusa: The Unending Game East of Istanbul*
8. Enver Paşa Journal, "Eşref Sencer Kuşçubaşı", November 2008
9. Ahmet Efe, *Efsaneden Gerçeğe Kuşçubaşı Eşref* (From Legend to Reality: Kuşçubaşı Eşref) ISBN 9750111433 {{isbn}}: Check isbn value: checksum (help)
10. Polat Safi, *Eşref - Kuşçubaşı'nın Alternatif Biyografisi* (Eşref - An Alternative Biography of Kuşçubaşı) ISBN 9786057635709
11. Benjamin C. Fortna, *Kuşçubaşı Eşref*

• Biography from İslam Ansiklopedisi