kcakoca Bey, who was the loyal alp of Osman Ghazi and also associated with Orhan ghazi, conquered many territories of Byzantine and annexed them to the Ottoman Empire.
His father’s name was Abdulmelik, and his family probably belonged to the Turkmen tribe who came to Anatolia with the Kai tribe from Central Asia and settled in the Sogut. AkcaKoca was ordered by Osman Ghazi, under the command of Orhan Ghazi, to conquer the areas of Sakraya and Izmit with famous commanders like Konralp, Ghazi Rehman and Kos Mehl.
He captured some of the forts in the area and built a fort on the west side of Lake Sapanca, besieging the area of Izmit.
In 1326, Akca Koca Alp conquered the Armenian bazaar, Kandira, Kaymas and surrounding areas.
That is why Akcakoca Alp is known in history as the “Conqueror of Kandira”. Akcakoca Alp, along with Konuralp and Ghazi Abdul Rahman, also conquered Kartal and then Aydos around the samandira fort in the north. Samandira’s fort was given to Akcakoca Alp as property.
During the life of Akcakoca, who was the real conqueror of the Izmit region from the Bosphorus to the length of Sakraya, the area was made a “province” and the area was named kocaili, meaning Akçakoca Province. The great Turkish commander Akcakoca, whose life was spent in war with the Greek Tekfurs, died in Kandira in 1328 at the age of 94, when he set out on an expedition of Izmit.
Where is the tomb of Akçakoca Alp?
Akcakoca Alp was buried on a forested hill in Kandira, now called Baba Pahar. The tomb was later converted into a concrete mausoleum by the Kocaili’s former governor,Ertugrul Anwar. Akcakoca Alp’s family,
Akcakoca Alp had a son named Hacı Ilyas and his grandson Fazlullah played an important role in Ottoman politics, first as a judge and then as a minister of Ottoman Empire.
What was the will of Akcakoca Alp?
When Akcakoca Bey passed away, his will was conveyed to Orhan Ghazi by a messenger:
We could not conquer Izmit…May Allah Almighty grant our Bey Orhan Ghazi. If he takes this castle, our sentence rights will be halal for him…” He said and surrendered his soul. Orhan Ghazi began preparations for the expedition and laid siege to the city in 1331. The Byzantine emperor comes to the rescue and Orhan Ghazi makes a treaty and ends the siege.
Six years later, Orhan Ghazi recaptured Izmit and fulfilled AkcaKoca’s will.
