Yörük Ali Efe, one of the symbolic figures of the War of Independence, is commemorated on the 74th anniversary of his death.

Yörük Ali Efe, known as the "Efe of Efe" for his heroism against the enemy during the War of Independence, is remembered with gratitude on the 74th anniversary of his death.

Yörük Ali Efe, one of the first to join the National Struggle in the War of Independence, took up arms with his friends and began the struggle at a time when there was no talk of opposing the Greeks, thus increasing the courage of the local people.

The "Efe of the Efe" went down in history as the "symbol of resistance in the Aegean" with his actions.

The tomb of Yörük Ali Efe, whose bravery has been passed down from generation to generation, is located in the Yenipazar district of Aydın, where he once served as a headquarters. The museum in the area where the tomb is located displays his clothing, weapons, and other artifacts from that period.

In Aydın, which cherished the hero of the War of Independence, Yörük Ali's name has been given to some schools, streets, and avenues, while his monument adorns some district squares. Some Aydın residents have also made it a tradition to name their children "Ali Efe" to carry his heroism to future generations.

Born in 1895 in Kavaklı village of Aydın's Sultanhisar district, Yörük Ali Efe joined the Zeybek band of Molla Ahmet Efe from Alanya in the Aydın mountains at the age of 19 due to public order problems stemming from the country's administrative style during the First World War.

After Aydın was occupied by the Greeks on May 27, 1919, Yörük Ali Efe and his friends were invited to resist against the Greeks by the 57th Division Commander Şefik Aker.

Taking part in the War of Independence to liberate İzmir, Aydın, and Nazilli from enemy occupation, Yörük Ali Efe carried out a raid on a fully equipped enemy outpost next to the Malgaç Railway Bridge on June 16, 1919, marking the first organized, deliberate, and nationally conscious raid against the enemy in Western and Southern Anatolia. He inflicted significant damage on the enemy with his raids.

With the establishment of the regular army, he integrated the group under his command into the army and he himself became the Commander of the National Aydın Front.

Ali Efe, who was awarded the Medal of Independence by the Turkish Grand National Assembly for his achievements in the War of Independence and took the surname Yörük in the Republican period, lived in İzmir for a while after the War of Independence.

Yörük Ali Efe, who lost his legs in a tram accident in İzmir in 1951, died on September 23, 1951, in Bursa, where he went for treatment.

Günver Güneş, an assistant professor at the Department of History at Aydın Adnan Menderes University's Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, told an AA correspondent that the National Intellectual Regiment, led by Yörük Ali Efe, dealt heavy blows to the Greeks.

Güneş, emphasizing the importance of gang raids on the enemy, said, "The Greek army's advance towards Ankara and the interior of Anatolia was blocked by raids. Yörük Ali Efe had such a mission. He was a major authority, particularly in rounding up deserters and draftees and transferring them first to the Kuvayımilliye (National Forces) and then to the regular army, ensuring the security and public order of this region."

Güneş emphasized that Yörük Ali Efe was a daring patriot and said:

"Yörük Ali Efe continued to raid the Greeks with his detachment until the Great Offensive. During the Great Offensive, in accordance with the instructions given to him, he crossed from the Aydın Mountains to the Küçük Menderes Basin with the orders to pursue the Greeks. He pursued the Greek army with the forces assigned to him, via Kiraz, Ödemiş, Tire, and from Torbalı and Bayındır to İzmir. He stopped in front of İzmir. To demonstrate his faith in the army, his faith in the Turkish soldiers, and his respect for them, Yörük Ali Efe declared, 'Entering İzmir is the right of the Turkish soldiers, the Turkish army,' and stopped in front of İzmir."