Born in Ruse, Bulgaria, in 1868, Fahreddin Pasha moved to Istanbul with his family after the Russo-Turkish War in 1878.
Fahreddin Pasha graduated from the Military Academy in 1888, completed the Staff College, Erkan-ı Harbiyye, in 1891, and began his military career as a staff captain.
During the Balkan Wars, Fahreddin Pasha played a role in the recapture of Edirne with his success in the defense of Çatalca. When the Ottoman Empire entered World War I in 1914, he served as the commander of the 12th Corps attached to the 4th Army in Mosul.
On November 25, 1914, Fahreddin Pasha was promoted to the rank of major general.
While serving as the acting commander of the 4th Army during his time with the 12th Corps on January 26, 1915, Fahreddin Pasha successfully suppressed several Armenian uprisings. Upon receiving news of Sharif Hussein's preparations for rebellion while the British reached an agreement with the rebels, Pasha was sent to Medina by the commander of the 4th Army, Cemal Pasha, on May 28, 1916.
Informing Cemal Pasha that Hussein would rebel within a few days, Fahreddin Pasha repelled the rebellion that Sharif Hussein and his four sons initiated on June 5-6, 1916, by taking measures on the night of June 5th.
Facing an estimated 50,000 rebels against approximately 15,000 Ottoman troops in the entire Hejaz region, Fahreddin Pasha defeated the rebels on June 27, 1916.
After this, Fahreddin Pasha was appointed as the commander of the Hejaz Expeditionary Force, reinforced with new units on July 15, 1916.
Due to the negligence of Governor Galib Pasha, rebels attacked Medina, entered Jeddah on July 9, Mecca on July 7, and Taif on September 22.
Despite the rebels capturing almost all major centers outside Medina defended by Fahreddin Pasha, he created a security line around Medina to defend the city.
Requesting continuous reinforcements from Istanbul to defend Medina, Fahreddin Pasha was informed by the Ottoman government that they were not in a position to meet his demands.
Due to the Ottoman government's decision to partially evacuate the Hejaz, Fahreddin Pasha proposed sending the sacred relics from Prophet Muhammad's tomb in Medina to Istanbul to protect them from any looting. Upon the government's acceptance of his offer under the condition that he would be responsible, Pasha sent the sacred relics, consisting of 30 items currently exhibited in Topkapı Palace and visited by millions of people every year, to Istanbul under the protection of 2,000 soldiers.
As the Bedouins and Sharif Hussein joined the British, protecting the railroad connecting Medina to Syria became challenging. The famous British spy Lawrence traveled along the railroad, blowing up the rails with dynamite.
Consequently, with Medina isolated in the middle of the desert and essential supplies running out, the decision was made to evacuate the city. Emir Sharif Haydar Pasha and around 3,000 local residents left Medina. Fahreddin Pasha, left with a small number of troops, continued to defend both the desert route and Medina despite most of his soldiers being sick and running out of ammunition, medicine, and clothing. However, he eventually agreed to surrender under pressure from his own officers.
In the face of the worsening conditions of the war, Fahreddin Pasha continued to resist. Refusing to accept the surrender order sent by Istanbul and suggesting that if Medina Castle needed to be evacuated, another commander should be sent, Pasha persevered in the defense of the city.
He and his troops continued to resist both the enemy and the challenges of hunger and disease. However, as the British conducted the Second Canal Operation, Palestine fell, and the nearest Ottoman forces were 1,300 kilometers away from Medina.
At that time, the Ottoman Empire was defeated, and on October 30, 1918, it signed the Armistice of Mudros. Fahreddin Pasha, who was supposed to surrender according to Article 16 of the armistice, refused to do so. He imprisoned the captain sent by the Istanbul government to deliver the Mudros Armistice, leaving Istanbul unanswered.
Despite the pressures from both the British and Sharif Hussein's forces to surrender Medina as quickly as possible, Fahreddin Pasha resisted. When Istanbul sent an order with the sultan's signature to evacuate Medina, Fahreddin Pasha did not comply. Despite the majority of his soldiers being sick, he continued to resist.
However, facing pressure from his subordinates, he reluctantly agreed to surrender. Although the surrender terms were accepted, which included being hosted in the headquarters of the Hashemite forces within 24 hours, Fahreddin Pasha went to a madrasa near the Rawda-i Mutahhara (the place from the Prophet Muhammad's tomb to the pulpit) and lay down, expressing that he would not go anywhere. On January 10, 1919, when Commander-in-Chief Necib Bey and those around him met with him, Fahreddin Pasha was taken to the tent prepared for him in the Hashemite headquarters.
On January 13, 1919, according to the treaty, Sharif Abdullah's forces entered Medina. Thus, 72 days after the Armistice of Mudros, Medina was surrendered.
Fahreddin Pasha, who was given the nicknames "Turkish Tiger" and "Desert Tiger" by the British, was sent to Egypt as a prisoner of war on January 27 and exiled to Malta on August 5. During his exile, he was sentenced to death by a court called Nemrud Mustafa Divan-ı Harbi, established in Istanbul to try war criminals. However, with the efforts of the Ankara government, he was released from Malta on April 8, 1921, and went to Moscow upon the invitation of Enver Pasha he met in Berlin. There, he participated in the Congress of the Union of Islamic Revolutionary Societies.
Fahreddin Pasha, who came to Ankara on September 24, 1921, to join the National Struggle, was appointed as the envoy of Kabul on November 9, 1921, and played an important role in the development of Turkish-Afghan friendship. When his duty ended on May 12, 1926, Fahreddin Pasha returned to his homeland, retired from the Turkish Armed Forces with the rank of major general on February 5, 1936, and passed away on November 22, 1948.
Fahreddin Pasha was buried in Aşiyan Cemetery.
