Turkish Military Academy

The Turkish Military Academy (Turkish: Kara Harp Okulu) or as it is known historically and popularly Harbiye is a four-year co-educational military academy and part of the National Defense University. It is located in the center of Ankara, Turkey. Its mission is to develop cadets mentally and physically for service as commissioned officers in the Turkish Army, and it is the oldest of the academies of the Armed Forces, opened in 1834.

After the 2016 coup d'état attempt, the Military Academy, together with the Turkish Naval Academy, the Turkish Air Force Academy, and other military educational institutions, was incorporated into the National Defense University, which was established under the Ministry of National Defense.

In the Auspicious Event of 1826, Sultan Mahmud II abolished the Janissary Corps, which had existed for centuries, as part of a broader effort to reorganize the military and administrative structure of the state, developments that were later formalized during the Tanzimat reforms. In the same year, he established the Mansure Army (Romanized Ottoman Turkish: Asâkir-i Mansûre-i Muhammediye, "The Victorious Soldiers of Muhammad"). The Sultan continued his reform efforts by establishing modern institutions to support the army.

On 7 July 1826, a decree establishing the army was promulgated, formally announcing its creation. In 1826, the Seraskerlik was established as the central military authority and later evolved into the Ministry of War. In 1827, the first military medical school, Imperial School of Medicine, was opened to train doctors and surgeons for the army. In 1834, Mekteb-i Harbiye was opened with the support of French military instructors to train officers for the army. Hüsrev Pasha proposed to the Sultan to establish a school modeled on the École Militaire of France, which was thought to have the best army of the time. The Sultan accepted the offer and assigned Mehmed Namık Pasha and Ahmed Fevzi Pasha to establish the school. Maçka Barracks in Istanbul was chosen as the main building for the school. The school started education in November 1834. Eight months after the commencement of instruction, Sultan Mahmud II visited the school on 1 July 1835.

During Selim Satı Pasha’s ministry (1837-1841), those studying at the school began to be referred to as “students.” In its early period, instructors were recruited from Europe, primarily from France. While infantry and fortification courses were emphasized, French was included among the compulsory courses as of 1840. During the time of Emin Pasha (1841-1846), who had received an education in Europe, emphasis was placed on science and vocational courses. Emin Pasha strengthened the teaching staff by recruiting people who had studied in Europe like himself and some teachers working at the School of Engineering to the Military Academy.

On June 14, 1843, Sultan Abdülmecid changed the army's name to Asâkir-i Nizâmiye-i Şâhâne (Royal Regular Soldiers). From this date onward, the army began to be known simply as the Nizami Ordu (Regular Army). In 1845, he established Kuleli Military High School in the capital Istanbul. In 1848, the first military academy, Erkan-ı Harbiye Military Academy, was opened to train army staff officers and high-ranking officers, or pashas. The Crimean War was the first war effort in which the modern army took part in, proving itself as a decent force. The last reorganization occurred during the Second Constitutional Era.

In 1883, Prussian field marshal Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz entered service in the Ottoman Army and appointed Inspector of the Ottoman Military Schools. Following his appointment, a new period of reform began at the Harbiye. Goltz Pasha advocated a transition from French style, engineering focused theoretical instruction toward a more practice oriented model inspired by the Prussian War College. Under his direction, textbooks were revised, with some written by Goltz himself. Subjects emphasized in German military education, including military history, tactics, drawing, and mathematics, gained increased prominence at the academy, with particular attention given to practical instruction in military courses.

Until 1908, the Military Academy primarily trained infantry and cavalry officers. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk enrolled in the infantry branch of the Turkish Military Academy in 1899 with the cadet number 1283 and graduated in 1902. In 1905, military academies were established in Edirne, Manastır, Erzincan, Damascus, and Baghdad. Thereafter, the Military Academy in Istanbul remained the sole institution providing officer education. During successive periods of warfare, an accelerated training program was implemented to supply officers for active fronts.