Mehmet Esat Bülkat

Mehmed Esad Pasha 1303 (1887) P.-1
Esad Pasha in 1915
Born	(1862-10-18)18 October 1862 Yanya, Ottoman Empire (now Ioannina, Greece)
Died	2 November 1952(1952-11-02) (aged 90) Istanbul, Turkey
Allegiance	Ottoman Empire
Service/branch	Ottoman Army
Years of service	1884–1919
Rank	Ferik
Battles/wars	Greco-Turkish War of 1897 First Balkan War Gallipoli Campaign
Relations	Vehib Pasha

Mehmed Esad Pasha (18 October 1862 – 2 November 1952), known as Mehmet Esat Bülkat after the 1934 Surname Law, was an Ottoman general active during the First Balkan War, where he led the Yanya Corps, and in World War I, where he was the senior Ottoman commander in the Dardanelles Campaign.

Mehmed Esad was born into a family in Yanya (now Ioannina) on October, 18 1862, the son of Mehmed Emin Efendi, who had served as mayor of the city. According to Jacques Kayaloff, he was of Albanian origin. According to himself, he was descendant of Mehmet Kaçı, an Uzbek who had immigrated to Salonica from Tashkent, and took possession of Ioannina during the reign of Sultan Murad II. His brother, Mehmed Vehib (1877–1940), also became a distinguished general.

Esad attended the Ottoman Military Academy, graduating in 1884. After a period of service in a regiment, he was selected for the Ottoman Military College in 1887, graduating as a General Staff officer in 1890. His excellent performance led to his immediate dispatch to attend the Prussian War Academy in Berlin, from where he graduated in May 1894. After a stint at the General Staff, he was promoted to Lt Colonel and given a teaching position at the War Academy. By the time the Greco-Turkish War of 1897 broke out, he had been promoted to Colonel, and he commanded a regiment during the war. In 1899, he was placed as head of training at the War Academy. In 1901 he was promoted to Mirliva (Brigadier) and to Ferik (Major General) in 1906. From 1907 he served as Chief of Staff of the Third Army at Thessaloniki.