Cafeter Tayyar Eğilmez was an officer who rose to prominence during the final period of the Ottoman State. A graduate of the War School and the War Academy, he served on various fronts during the Balkan Wars, World War I, and the Turkish War of Independence. He played an active role in organizing the national resistance in Thrace and served as a deputy from Edirne during the first term of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye. After the war, he retired from military service and continued his life in Istanbul. Throughout his life, shaped by military discipline and political responsibility, Cafer Tayyar Eğilmez became one of the prominent figures who actively participated in the foundation of the Republic.

War School and Early Military Service

Born in 1877 in Thessaloniki, Cafer Tayyar completed his primary and secondary education there before graduating from the War School in 1895 and the War Academy in 1898. Following his graduation, he held various posts in the Ottoman Army. Although he did not serve in the Italo-Turkish War, he assumed important duties during the Balkan Wars as Chief of Staff of the Third Army. During this period, he witnessed the siege and surrender of Edirne to the Bulgarians.

Activities during World War I

At the outbreak of World War I, Cafer Tayyar Pasha served as Commander of the 20th Corps on the Macedonian Front, where he organized Ottoman military units in Bulgaria. He was later assigned to the Gallipoli Front. In the final stages of the war, he was transferred to the Palestine Front; however, he never reached the front before the Armistice of Mudros was signed.

Role during the National Struggle

After the armistice, Cafer Tayyar returned to Istanbul but crossed into Thrace to join the resistance movement in Anatolia against the occupations. There, he played an active role within the Thrace Protection of Rights Society. In 1920, he was elected as a deputy from Edirne by the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye. In the same year, he was appointed Commander of the First Corps within the Grand National Assembly Army. Prior to the Battle of Sakarya, he held various military posts on the Western Front.

Service and Retirement during the Republic Era

After the war, he was promoted to the rank of general and retired from military service in 1926. Following his retirement, he continued serving as a deputy from Edirne in the Grand National Assembly. He remained a deputy until 1931. Afterward, he was not appointed to any further public office and spent the remainder of his life in Istanbul.

Death

Cafeter Tayyar Eğilmez passed away in Istanbul on 3 January 1958. His grave is located at Edirnekapı Martyrs’ Cemetery.