Atçalı Kel Mehmet Efe
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Atçalı Kel Mehmet Efe (1780-1830) was a Turkish outlaw, who led a local revolt against Ottoman authority and established control of the Aydın region for a short period between 1829 and 1830.
Kel Mehmet was born in 1780 to a peasant family in Atça. According to the legend, while he was an ordinary young man, he witnessed the fight between a tiny, sick dog and three healthy, powerful dogs. After being beaten for a long time, the tiny dog ends up in an alley with no exit. At that point, it fights back with his final energy and achieves to get rid of the monsters. Inspired by the tiny dog, Mehmet established an analogy between the situation and the relation between the Ottoman reign and Anatolian peasants, and decided to go out to the mountains as an outlaw.
In 1829, Mehmet started a revolt in Kuyucak, demanding tax cuts, fair laws, and shorter military service. As the people were tired of the tax load and endless military service from continuous wars of the declining empire, he quickly gained popularity. After he controlled Aydın, people from neighboring regions also subscribed to his authority. He was killed by Mahmud II's forces in 1830.
