Ertuğrul (Ottoman Turkish: ارطغرل, often with title Gazi) (1191 / 1198, Ahlat – 1281, Söğüt) was the father of Osman I, the founder of the Ottoman Empire. He was the leader of the Kayı clan of the Oghuz Turks. When arriving in Anatolia from Merv (Turkmenistan) with his 400 horsemen to aid the Seljuks of Rum against the Byzantines, Ertuğrul set off the chain of events that would ultimately lead to the founding of the Ottoman Empire. Like his son, Osman, and his future descendants, Ertuğrul is often referred to as a Ghazi, a heroic champion fighter for the cause of Islam.

In 1230, he inherited the command of the Kayı tribe of the Oghuz Turks as a result of his assistance to the Seljuks against the Byzantines. Ertuğrul received lands of Karaca Dağ, a mountainous area near Angora (now Ankara), by Ala ad-Din Kay Qubadh I, the Seljuk Sultan of Rum. One account indicates that the Seljuk leader's rationale for granting Ertuğrul land was for Ertuğrul to repel any hostile incursion from the Byzantines or other adversary. Later, he received the village of Söğüt which he conquered in 1231 together with the surrounding lands. That village became the Ottoman capital in 1299 under Osman I, Ertuğrul's son. Ertuğrul had two other sons, Saru Batu Savcı Bey and Gündüz.

Doğu Perinçek (born June 17, 1942 in Gaziantep) is a Turkish politician, leader of the Workers' Party (Turkish: İşçi Partisi), a scientific socialist organization, and former chairman of the Workers' Party (Turkey). His first name Doğu means "East" in Turkish.

Perinçek was born to Sadık Perinçek of Apçağa, Kemaliye, and Lebibe Olcaytu of Balaban, Darende. Sadık Perinçek was the deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme Court and parliamentary deputy of the Justice Party (AP); the predecessor of the True Path Party (DYP). although this contradicts Perinçek's self-published genealogy. His father was an assistant for the Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme Court, and later a parliamentarian. Perinçek attended Ankara Sarar primary school, an Atatürk Lycee, and Bahçelievler Deneme high school.

He interrupted his university education to work in Germany, going on to finish Ankara University's Law faculty, and working as an assistant in public law. Perinçek lives in Gayrettepe, Istanbul with his wife Şule Perinçek. They have two daughters, Zeynep and Kiraz, and two sons, Can and Mehmet Bora.

Ertuğrul Özkök is a Turkish journalist and a daily columnist. Between 1990 and 2010, he was the editor-in-chief for Hürriyet, a daily newspaper published in Turkish in Turkey and some European countries. Özkök is known for advocating modernization of Turkey, globalization, women's rights and Turkey's European Union accession. He is also known with his strong relationships with Turkey's and Europe's top politicians, journalists and business people.

Özkök was born in İzmir a few years after his parents had to migrate to Istanbul. Both his father, who had made a name as a prominent printer of İzmir, and his mother are from Kardzhali, Bulgaria. He graduated from İzmir Namık Kemal Lisesi and did his university studies in Paris, France.

In September 2010 Özkök said that "I believe in God but I am not religious." (Turkish: Ben Allah’a inanan bir insanım, ama dindar değilim.)

Fatih Altaylı (born 1963, Van, Turkey) is a Turkish journalist, columnist, television presenter and media executive.

He graduated from Galatasaray High School in Istanbul. Fatih Altaylı stepped into journalism at the newspaper Cumhuriyet as a sports reporter. In 1993, he co-founded the radio station Best FM. From 1995 on, Altaylı continued with broadcating at Show Radio for about one year. The same year, he was appointed news presenter at the sister media Show TV channel. In addition, he started to present. his own program Teke Tek (One For One).

In 1996, Altaylı transferred to Doğan Media Group. While writing his column at Hürriyet, he was tasked with the post of a coordinator at Radio D in the same media group. In the summer of 2002, Fatih Altaylı was appointed top executive of the television channel Kanal D.

Later, he worked as the top executive of the newspaper Sabah. He resigned from this post as the newspaper was sold to Çalık Holding's Turkuaz Media in 2008 after it was seized in April 2007 by the governmental Savings Deposit Insurance Fund of Turkey (TMSF) due to financial problems of the former owner Dinç Bilgin.

Ertuğrul Sağlam (born 19 November 1969) is a Turkish football coach and former player. He is currently the coach of Süper Lig club Bursaspor. He was recently voted one of the top 20 most promising coaches by respected football magazine Champions. In 2006 he won the now defunct Intertoto Cup, with Kayserispor of Turkey. He has previously managed two of the clubs he had played for, those being Samsunspor and Beşiktaş. On 16 May 2010, Bursaspor won the Super Lig after beating defending champions Beşiktaş 2–1 at home. They won the league by just one point above second placed Fenerbahçe, although they had an 11 point gap over third placed Galatasaray. Bursaspor had the strongest strikeforce and the second strongest defence, of all teams in the league. It was manager Sağlam's first full season in charge having taken over in January 2009, and it is the first time he, and Bursaspor, won the league. As a player he scored 11 goals in 30 appearances for Turkey, and was selected for the Euro 1996 squad. He began his career playing for Fenerbahçe Youth but never played a professional game with the club and signed for Gaziantepspor. He spent nine years playing for Samsunspor during two spells, and helped the club to promotion to the Turkish top flight in 1991 and again in 1993 after relegation. He also played for Beşiktaş between 1994 and 2000.