Ḥusayn Pasha ibn Ḥasan ibn Aḥmad ibn Riḍwān ibn Muṣṭafā ibn ʿAbd al-Muʿīn Pasha ( ar, حسين باشا بن حسن رضوان) (died 1662 or 1663) was the
Ottoman governor of
Gaza Sanjak
Gaza Sanjak ( ar, سنجق غزة) was a sanjak of the Damascus Eyalet, Ottoman Empire centered in Gaza. In the 16th century it was divided into ''nawahi'' (singular: ''nahiya''; third-level subdivisions): Gaza in the south and Ramla in the north ...
, a district which extended from
Jaffa and
Ramla
Ramla or Ramle ( he, רַמְלָה, ''Ramlā''; ar, الرملة, ''ar-Ramleh'') is a city in the Central District of Israel. Today, Ramle is one of Israel's mixed cities, with both a significant Jewish and Arab populations.
The city was f ...
in the north to
Bayt Jibrin
Bayt Jibrin or Beit Jibrin ( ar, بيت جبرين; he, בית גוברין, translit=Beit Gubrin) was a Palestinian village located northwest of the city of Hebron. The village had a total land area of 56,185 dunams or , of which wer ...
in the southeast and
Rafah
Rafah ( ar, رفح, Rafaḥ) is a Palestinian city in the southern Gaza Strip. It is the district capital of the Rafah Governorate, located south of Gaza City. Rafah's population of 152,950 (2014) is overwhelmingly made up of former Palestini ...
in the south, with
Gaza as its capital. Husayn belonged to the
Ridwan family, who long held the governorship of Gaza. Husayn Pasha became governor in 1644 after succeeding his father 'Arab Hasan Pasha. He served, with a brief interruption by his son Ibrahim in 1660, until his imprisonment in 1662. Husayn Pasha also served intermittent terms as governor of
Nablus and
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
and as ''
amir al-hajj'' (commander of the
Hajj caravan). Gaza prospered under Husayn Pasha and its political importance rose so much so that the French consul considered it to be the virtual capital of
Palestine. Husayn Pasha maintained friendly relations with the
Bedouin tribes of the region, local
Christian communities and the French. In 1662, Husayn Pasha was imprisoned by the Ottoman imperial authorities and executed in
Damascus later that year or in
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
in 1663.
Biography
In the mid-17th century Husayn Pasha served as governor of
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
and
Nablus.
[Ze'evi 1996, p. 41.] From 1524, his family, the
Ridwan dynasty
The Ridwan dynasty (also spelled ''Radwan''; tr, RizvanZe'evi, 2012, p39/ref>) was the most prominent pasha family in Palestine, ruling the southwestern districts of the Damascus Eyalet ("Province of Damascus") in the 16th and 17th centuries und ...
, had administered much of
Palestine and parts of the
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
and
Syria on behalf of their
Ottoman superiors based in
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
and
Damascus.
[Dowling 1913, pp. 70-71] Husayn Pasha was also appointed ''
amir al-hajj'' (commander of the
Hajj caravan). This position entrusted him with provisioning and protecting the annual Hajj pilgrim caravan from Bedouin raids while the pilgrims traversed the desert route to
Mecca
Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow ...
in the
Hejaz.
Governor of Gaza
Husayn inherited the governorship of Gaza from his father 'Arab Hasan Pasha following the latter's removal from the post in 1644. Prior to the assumption of this post, Gaza was in an impoverished economic state and the Ridwan family was greatly indebted.
In 1656, the Ottoman central authorities, wary of Husayn Pasha's overarching influence in Palestine, attempted to implicate Husayn Pasha in a corruption scandal regarding unclear cash and property transactions in a Nablus-based meeting between himself, his brother-in-law Assaf Pasha, a group of notables from
Jabal Nablus
The Nablus Sanjak ( ar, سنجق نابلس; tr, Nablus Sancağı) was an administrative area that existed throughout Ottoman rule in the Levant (1517–1917). It was administratively part of the Damascus Eyalet until 1864 when it became part o ...
and an Ottoman official from Istanbul, Ismail Pasha. According to contemporary testimonies, a group of village headmen from
Jabaliya apparently harmed by the Nablus deal went to Damascus to lodge a complaint to the authorities against Ismail Pasha. However, they were advised by the Ottoman authorities in Damascus to instead file the complaint against Husayn Pasha, in an effort to undermine his credibility.
[Ze'evi 1996, pp. 58-59.]
To restore Gaza's failing commerce sector, Husayn Pasha obtained a large loan from the French consul in Jerusalem,
Chevalier d'Arvieux. When pressed to pay in 1659, Husayn made strenuous efforts to produce the funds and promptly paid back d'Arvieux in a meeting in the town of
Ramla
Ramla or Ramle ( he, רַמְלָה, ''Ramlā''; ar, الرملة, ''ar-Ramleh'') is a city in the Central District of Israel. Today, Ramle is one of Israel's mixed cities, with both a significant Jewish and Arab populations.
The city was f ...
. D'Arvieux then proceeded to lavish fine robes and cloth to show his gratitude to Husayn Pasha.
[Meyer 1907, p. 98.]
Husayn Pasha maintained a positive reputation among the Bedouin tribes who largely dominated the desert areas surrounding Gaza. This relationship resulted in a drastic fall in the previously routine armed conflict between the nomadic Bedouin and the settled population of Gaza and the nearby towns.
According to his contemporary biographer,
Muhammad al-Muhibbi Muhammad al-Amin ibn Fadlallah ibn Muhiballah ibn Muhibb al-Din al-Dimashqi, commonly known as al-Muhibbi was an Ottoman historian based in Damascus. He is best known for voluminous dictionary of biographies of 17th-century Muslim notables.
Biogra ...
, Husayn Pasha was able to subdue the Bedouin tribes and gain their cooperation.
[Ze'evi 1996, p. 53.] The Bedouin tribal chiefs reportedly visited his court in Gaza to pay their respects. According to historian
Martin Abraham Meyer, Husayn's influence over the Bedouin was "marked" and they ended their plundering campaigns against the city, allowing its economy to grow unhindered.
A more able governor than his predecessor, Husayn Pasha was able to restore the Ridwan family's wealth, and Gaza entered into a period of prosperity. The status of the city was elevated to the point that d'Arvieux described it as the capital of Palestine.
Husayn Pasha's rule over Gaza was considered beneficent,
[Mattar 2005, p. 171.] and according to Meyer "all things prospered under his rule."
Economic activity at the time was principally agricultural and centered on the cultivation of grain. While industry was primitive, Gaza became a principal manufacturer of
soap
Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are use ...
and wine.
Husayn was well known throughout Palestine for his many charities and hospitality.
In addition to the majority
Muslim population, there existed large communities of
Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...
s and
Christians who thrived under Husayn's administration.
Husayn maintained friendly relations with the various Christian communities in Palestine as well as the French missionaries. Unusual at the time for a Muslim ruler, he allowed local Christians to build a church near the
Great Mosque of Gaza
The Great Mosque of Gaza ( ar, المسجد غزة الكبير, transliteration: ''al-Masjid Ghazza al-Kabīr''), also known as the Great Omari Mosque ( ar, المسجد العمري الكبير, transliteration: ''al-Masjid al-ʿUmarī al-Kab ...
, repair already existing churches throughout the province and construct hospices.
He appointed his son Ibrahim as governor of Jerusalem and later on handed over to him his post as governor of Gaza, the Ridwan dynasty's stronghold. He retained the office of governor of Nablus and continued to command the annual Hajj pilgrimage from Damascus to Mecca. Husayn Pasha restored himself as governor of Gaza in 1661 when Ibrahim was killed in an Ottoman-ordered punitive expedition against
Druze rebels in
Mount Lebanon.
Imprisonment and death
Anonymous petitions were sent to the Ottoman capital Istanbul decrying his leadership of the Hajj caravan, which was justification enough for the Ottoman authorities to depose him. Thus, during the caravan’s stop at the
Muzayrib
Muzayrib ( ar, مُزَيْرِيب, also spelled Mzerib, Mzeireb, Mzereeb, Mezereeb or al-Mezereeb) is a town in southern Syria, administratively part of the Daraa Governorate, located northwest of Daraa on the Jordan–Syria border. Nearby local ...
fortress en route to Mecca, Husayn Pasha was arrested and then imprisoned in Damascus. Shortly after, he was transferred to Constantinople where he was killed while incarcerated in 1662-63.
Historian Jean-Pierre Filiu asserts that Husayn Pasha was executed in the Damascus citadel in 1662.
[Filiu 2014, p. 27.] Mourning Husayn Pasha's death, the Damascene poet Abd as-Samman al-Dimashqi wrote:
"He committed no crime, but these are days of envy's rule. Chained inside a dungeon cell, they feared him as one would fear a sword in its scabbard
A scabbard is a sheath for holding a sword, knife, or other large blade. As well, rifles may be stored in a scabbard by horse riders. Military cavalry and cowboys had scabbards for their saddle ring carbine rifles and lever-action rifles on the ...
."[Ze'evi 1996, pp. 58-59.]
Husayn Pasha was succeeded by his brother
Musa Pasha.
According to historian Dror Ze'evi, "the Ottomans must have assumed that by killing Husayn Pasha, they ... would eventually be able to destroy the remnants of the extended dynasty."
Members of the Ridwan family continued to govern Gaza consecutively, but from a weakened position and with considerably less political influence.
The last Ridwan governor was Musa Pasha's son Ahmad Pasha who ruled until 1690.
Personal life
Traits
While Muhibbi describes Arab Hasan Pasha as a reckless "spendthrift and hedonist", Husayn Pasha was described as a "paragon of perfection".
Muhibbi claimed Husayn Pasha was handsome, noble and cultured and "a man of deeds whose reputation preceded him".
Although Husayn Pasha was illiterate, he memorized several books of
Arabic poetry and prose.
He was further described as a "resolute leader" in war and politics.
Family
Husayn Pasha had a number of children, including adopted child relatives.
[Ze'evi 1996, p. 46.] His son Ibrahim was killed in combat in 1661.
He adopted his late sister's son Farrukh whose deceased father, Ali ibn Muhammad Farrukh, had been a leading ''amir'' himself.
Husayn Pasha's daughter Shaqra Khatun was married to the ''amir'' Assaf Pasha. Husayn Pasha had 85 siblings, most notable among them was Husayn's successor, Musa Pasha.
[Ze'evi 1996, p. 48.]
According to historian Theodore Dowling, Husayn's ''
serai'', today known as
Qasr al-Basha, was lavishly furnished and stood in the middle of a garden.
One of the servant families were the Frangi who were of
Greek Catholic The term Greek Catholic Church can refer to a number of Eastern Catholic Churches following the Byzantine (Greek) liturgy, considered collectively or individually.
The terms Greek Catholic, Greek Catholic church or Byzantine Catholic, Byzantine Ca ...
origin, but converted to
Islam.
Assalan Frangi was Husayn Pasha's secretary.
See also
*
Ahmad ibn Ridwan
Ahmad ibn Ridwan ( ar, أحمد بن رضوان ) (died 1607), better known as Ahmad Pasha, was the governor of the Damascus Eyalet in the early 17th century. Before that, he was governor of the Gaza Sanjak, a subprovince of Damascus, for nearly 30 ...
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Husayn Pasha
1663 deaths
17th-century people from the Ottoman Empire
Date of birth unknown
People from Gaza City
Ottoman governors of Gaza
Pashas
Prisoners who died in Ottoman detention
Husayn
Hussein, Hussain, Hossein, Hossain, Huseyn, Husayn, Husein or Husain (; ar, حُسَيْن ), coming from the triconsonantal root Ḥ-S-i-N ( ar, ح س ی ن, link=no), is an Arabic name which is the diminutive of Hassan, meaning "good", " ...
Turkish people who died in prison custody