Ahmed Bey ben Mohamed Chérif

Ahmed Bey ben Mohamed Chérif, also known as Ahmed Bey or Hadj Ahmed Bey (Arabic: الحاج أحمد باي‎) (c. 1784 - c. 1850) was the last Ottoman Bey of Constantine, in the Regency of Algiers, ruling from 1826 to 1848. He was the successor of Mohamed Menamenni Bey ben Khan. As head of state, he led the local population in a fierce resistance to the French occupation forces. In 1837 the territory was conquered by the French, who reinstated the Bey as ruler of the region. He remained in this position until 1848, when the region became a part of the colony of Algiers and the Bey was deposed.

Biography

Ahmed Bey was born a "kouloughli" meaning he was born to a Turkish father and an Arab mother. Barely eighteen years old, the bey Abd Allah gave him the title of Caïd (Chief) of the el Aouassi tribes. Following the earthquake in the Blida region the dey, appointed him to Hunah el Kadous, around Algiers, and gives him the enjoyment of haouch Ouled Baba. Ahmed Bey engages in passions, such as hunting and the horses. From time to time he took part in several expeditions to protect the Ottoman troops, who were engaged against hostile Kabyle tribes such as the Beni Menad and the Beni Djenad. During his pilgrimage to Mecca which lasted fifteen months, from Egypt he met several famous people, including Muhammad Ali Pasha, his son Ibrahim Pasha and Toussoun Pasha.

Bey

Bey (Ottoman Turkish: باي‎/Bey, Arabic: بك‎ / Bek, Persian: بگ‎‎ / Beg or Beyg) is a Turkish title for chieftain, traditionally applied to the leaders (for men) of small tribal groups. The feminine equivalent title was Begum. The regions or provinces where "beys" ruled or which they administered were called beylik, roughly meaning "emirate" or "principality" in the first case, "province" or "governorate" in the second (the equivalent of duchy in other parts of Europe). Today, the word is still used informally as a social title for men (somewhat like the English word "mister" and the French word monsieur, which literally means "my lord"). Unlike "mister" however, it follows the name and is used generally with first names and not with last names.

Etymology

The word entered English from Turkish bey, itself derived from Old Turkic beg, which - in the form bäg - has been mentioned as early as in the Orkhon inscriptions (8th century AD) and is usually translated as "tribal leader". The dialect variations bäk, bek, bey, biy, bi, and pig all derive from the Old Turkic form. The actual origin of the word is still disputed, though it is mostly agreed that it was a loan-word, in Old Turkic. This Turkic word is usually considered a borrowing from an Iranian language. However, German Turkologist Gerhard Doerfer assessed the derivation from Iranian as superficially attractive but quite uncertain, and pointed out the possibility that the word may be genuinely Turkic. Two principal etymologies have been proposed by scholars:

Bey (surname)

Bey is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:

See also

Bey (disambiguation)

Bey is the Turkish term for a tribal chieftain, Ottoman or later Islamic official, in latter days reduced to a hollow form of address; a leader of beylik.

Bey or BEY may also refer to:

Places

People

See also