Major Aziz Bey: Ottoman Insights and Observations During the South African War (1899–1902)

Year 2024, Volume: 1 Issue: 1, 14 - 31

Esma Karadağ

Abstract

In 1900, Major (Binbaşı) Aziz Bey, an Ottoman military attaché, embarked on a significant journey to South Africa to observe the British army’s operations during the South African War (1899–1902). His assignment provided a unique perspective on a conflict pivotal to colonial history. Stationed alongside Field Marshal Lord Roberts, Aziz Bey’s observations were preserved through contemporary war correspondents. In 1901, Britain gave him a medal in appreciation of his observations and achievements. Aziz Bey's experiences, including his admiration and critique of the Boers' combat tactics, accentuate the personal and logistical challenges faced by foreign military observers and reflect the broader geopolitical interests of the Ottoman Empire. This article explores Major Aziz Bey’s role and contributions as an observer, shedding light on the intersection of Ottoman and British perspectives during a crucial period in imperial dynamics. Through historical accounts and personal correspondence, the article uncovers the Ottoman Empire’s stance and strategic interests in the South African War, contributing to a deeper understanding of its African policy.

Keywords

South African War of 1899–1902, Second Boer War, Anglo-Boer War, Major Aziz Bey, Ottoman-British Relations

Binbaşı Aziz Bey: Güney Afrika Savaşı Sırasında Osmanlı Anlayış ve Gözlemleri (1899-1902)

Abstract

1900 yılında Osmanlı askeri ataşesi Binbaşı Aziz Bey, Güney Afrika Savaşı (1899-1902) sırasında İngiliz ordusunun operasyonlarını gözlemlemek üzere Güney Afrika'ya önemli bir yolculuğa çıktı. Görevi, sömürge tarihi için çok önemli olan bir çatışmaya benzersiz bir bakış açısı sağladı. Mareşal Lord Roberts'ın yanında görev yapan Aziz Bey'in gözlemleri, doğrudan kaydedilmese de, çağdaş savaş muhabirleri aracılığıyla korunmuştur. Gözlemleri ve katkıları nedeniyle 1901 yılında İngiltere tarafından madalya ile ödüllendirildi. Aziz Bey'in Boerlerin savaş taktiklerine yönelik hayranlığı ve eleştirileri de dahil olmak üzere deneyimleri, yabancı askeri gözlemcilerin karşılaştığı kişisel ve lojistik zorlukların altını çizmekte ve Osmanlı İmparatorluğu'nun daha geniş jeopolitik çıkarlarını yansıtmaktadır. Bu makale Binbaşı Aziz Bey'in bir gözlemci olarak rolünü ve katkılarını inceleyerek, imparatorluk dinamikleri açısından kritik bir dönemde Osmanlı ve İngiliz perspektiflerinin kesişimine ışık tutmaktadır. Makale, tarihsel anlatılar ve kişisel yazışmalar aracılığıyla Osmanlı İmparatorluğu'nun Güney Afrika Savaşı'ndaki duruşunu ve stratejik çıkarlarını ortaya çıkararak Afrika politikasının daha iyi anlaşılmasına katkıda bulunuyor.

Keywords

1899-1902 Güney Afrika Savaşı, Anglo-Boer Savaşı, Binbaşı Aziz Bey, Osmanlı-İngiliz ilişkileri

References

• AngloBoerWar.com. (n.d.). Foreign attaches. AngloBoerWar.com. Retrieved November 28, 2024, from https://www.angloboerwar.com/forum/11-research/8824-foreign-attaches?start=6
• AngloBoerWar.com. (n.d.). Foreign attaches. AngloBoerWar.com. Retrieved November 28, 2024, from https://www.angloboerwar.com/forum/11-research/8824-foreign-attaches?start=12#91044
• Argun, S. (2000). The life and contribution of the Osmanlı scholar, Abu Bakr Effendi, towards Islamic thought and culture in South Africa (Master’s thesis, Rand Afrikaans University).
• Badem, C. (2010). The Ottoman Crimean War (1853–1856). Leiden: Brill.
• Belmond. (n.d.). Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel: A history. Belmond. https://www.belmond.com/stories/belmond-mount-nelson-hotel-history?srsltid=AfmBOooDaEHEiYaVCH0il7omNTcnLm-3Ay2UEU4BKKuNmITU7_lGKbkS
• Cornelissen, M. (2013). South Africa: An Ottoman Colony? International Review of Turkish Studies, 3(2), 64–86.
• Craig, D. (n.d). The weapons and battles of the Second Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902). http://www.heliograph.com/trmgs/trmgs4/boer.shtml
• Çiçek, N. (2006). The Turkish response to Bulgarian horrors: A study in English Turcophobia. Middle Eastern Studies, 42, 102–87. https://doi.org/10.1080/00263200500399579
• Deringil, S. (1991). Legitimacy Structures in the Ottoman State: The Reign of Abdülhamid II (1876–1909). International Journal of Middle East Studies, 23(3), 345–359. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020743800056336
• Evans, M., M. (2000). Encyclopedia of the Boer War. Oxford: ABC-CLIO.
• Hazar, N. (2011). Küreselleşme Sürecinde Afrika ve Türkiye-Afrika İlişkileri. Ankara: Karınca Yayınları.
• James, L. (1929). High Pressure; Being Some Record of Activities in the Service of the Times Newspaper. London: John Murray.
• Karpat, K. H. (2001). The Politicization of Islam: Reconstructing Identity, State, Faith, and Community in the Late Ottoman State. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Lowry, D. (Ed.). (2000). The South African War Reappraised. New York: Manchester University Press.
• Mardin, Ş. (1983). Jön Türklerin Siyasi Fikirleri 1899/1908. Istanbul: İletişim.
• Minawi, M. (2016). The Ottoman Scramble for Africa: Empire and Diplomacy in the Sahara and the Hijaz. California: Stanford University Press.
• Nasson, B. (1999). Uyadela Wen’osulapho: Black participation in the South African War. Randburg: Ravan Press.
• Nasson, B. (2010). The War for South Africa. Cape Town: Tafelberg.
• National Archives of South Africa, TAB Photo Ref. 32833.
• Orakçı, S. (2007). A historical analysis of the emerging links between the Ottoman Empire and South Africa (Master’s thesis, University of Johannesburg).
• Özdemir, A. C. (2017). II. Abdülhamid’in Afrika Siyaseti (Master’s diss., Afyonkarahisar Üniversitesi).
• Özcan, A. (1997). Pan-Islamism: Indian Muslims, the Ottomans and Britain (1877–1924). Leiden: E. J. Brill.
• Pakenham, T. (1979). The Boer War. Johannesburg: Jonathan Ball Publishers.
• Peacock, A. C. S. (2012). The Ottomans and the Funj sultanate in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, 75(1), 87–111.
• Pemberton, W. B. (1964). Battles of the Boer War. London: B. T. Batsford.
• Perkins, J. (2015). The Congo of Europe: The Balkans and empire in early twentieth-century British political culture. The Historical Journal, 58(2), 565–587. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/historical-journal/article/abs/congo-of-europe-the-balkans-and-empire-in-early-twentiethcentury-british-political-culture/DB00A5AF7E04EA55374581394A6C7C40
• Rosslyn, The Earl of. (1900). Twice Captured: A Record of Adventure During the Boer War (3rd ed.). London: Blackwood.
• Siwundhla, H. T. (1984). White ideologies and non-European participation in the Anglo-Boer War, 1899-1902. Journal of Black Studies, 15(2), 169–188.
• Smith, I. R. (1996). The Origins of the South African War, 1899-1902. New York: Longman.
• The Ottoman Prime Minister’s Archive, BEO 1443 – 108207, 13 Şevval 1317.
• The Ottoman Prime Minister’s Archive, İrade Hususi, 26 Şevval 1317, No 43; İrade Hususi, 2 Rebiulahir 1317, No 9.
• The Ottoman Prime Minister’s Archive, İrade Hususi, 26 Şevval 1317, no. 43.
• The Ottoman Prime Minister’s Archive, İrade Hususi, 2 Rebiulahir 1317, no. 9.
• The Ottoman Prime Minister’s Archive, İrade Hususi, 2 Rebiulahir 1318, no. 65.
• The Ottoman Prime Minister’s Archive, İ..TAL. 262/ 53, 27 Cemaziyelahir 1319.
• The Ottoman Prime Minister’s Archive, Y.A. Hus. 400/127.
• The Ottoman Prime Minister’s Archive, Y. MTV 202/3.
• The Ottoman Prime Minister’s Archive, HR. MTV., 608/6.
• The Ottoman Prime Minister’s Archive, HR. SFR. 3. 491/ 676/ 4.
• The San Francisco Call, Vol 87, No 80, 18 February 1900, 13.
• Uçar, A. (2001). 140 Yıllık Miras Güney Afrika’da Osmanlılar. Istanbul: Tez Yayınları.
• Van Bruinessen, M. (2000). A nineteenth-century Ottoman Kurdish scholar in South Africa: Abu Bakr Efendi. Mullas, Sufis and heretics: The Role of Religion in Kurdish Society. Collected Articles. Istanbul: The Isis Press, 133–141.
• Warwick, P. (1980). The South African War: The Anglo-Boer War 1899–1902. New York: Longman.
• Warwick, P. (1983). Black People and the South African War 1899, 1902. New York: Longman.
• Wessels, A. (2011). The Anglo-Boer War 1889-1902: White Man’s War, Black Man’s War, Traumatic War. Bloemfontein: Sun Press.