A group of Zeybeks in the Ottoman Empire, c. 1880's
//
Zeybeks were irregular militia and guerrilla fighters living in West Anatolia from the late 17th to early 20th centuries. Traditionally, the Zeybeks acted as protectors of village people against landlords, bandits, and tax collectors. From the 17th to 19th century, the Zeybeks evolved to outlaws and bandits terrorizing the Aegean Region. After WWI, they fought against the Greek occupation of western Turkey. Following the formation of a Turkish national army during the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922, most of them joined the regular forces and continued their resistance. During and after the Turkish War of Independence, they were no longer seen as bandits and outlaws but as heroes, nationalist forces fighting against a foreign and non-muslim force