Ahmad Agha Fadhelaldin Agha Al-Asali Duzdar ( ar, أحمد آغا بن فضل الدين آغا العسلي دزدار) was

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

and Governor of Jerusalem from 1838 to as late as 1863. In 1838 Ahmad Agha accompanied David Roberts from Jerusalem to the river Jordan, together with 4,000 Christian pilgrims. His name appears in a petition by Muhammad Sharif in 1840 demanding that "the Jews must not be enabled to carry out the paving, and they must be cautioned against raising their voices and displaying their books at the

Western wall The Western Wall ( he, הַכּוֹתֶל הַמַּעֲרָבִי, HaKotel HaMa'aravi, the western wall, often shortened to the Kotel or Kosel), known in the West as the Wailing Wall, and in Islam as the Buraq Wall (Arabic: حَائِط ...

." His official title was 'Ottoman Governor of Jerusalem'. He was known for his dealings with

Moses Montefiore Sir Moses Haim Montefiore, 1st Baronet, (24 October 1784 – 28 July 1885) was a British financier and banker, activist, philanthropist and Sheriff of London. Born to an Italian Sephardic Jewish family based in London, aft ...

, having sold him the land to acquire

Mishkenot Sha'ananim , settlement_type = Neighborhood of Jerusalem , image_skyline = שכונת משכנות שאננים וטחנת הרוח. צולם מכיוון העיר העתיקה.jpg , imagesize = 300px , image_caption = View of Mishkenot ...

, which was built in 1860.Diaries of Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore : comprising their life and work as recorded in their diaries from 1812 to 1883, Volume 2
pages 51-52: “Ahhmed Agha Dizdar, who had been Governor of Jerusalem during the reign of Mohhammad Ali, and who since the year 1839 had stood in friendly relations with Sir Moses, was the owner of the land in question. When Sir Moses broached the subject of the purchase to him, his answer was: "You are my friend, my brother, the apple of my eye, take possession of it at once. This land I hold as an heirloom from my ancestors. I would not sell it to any person for thousands of pounds, but to you I give it without any money: it is yours, take possession of it." " I myself, my wife, and children, we all are yours." And this was his reply to Sir Moses day after day, whenever he was asked the price for which he would sell the said property. Ultimately, after a whole day's most friendly argument, which almost exhausted all my stock of Arabic phraseology (having acted as interpreter between him and Sir Moses), he said to me: "You are my friend, my brother; by my beard, my head, I declare this is the case. Tell Sir Moses to give me a souvenir of one thousand pounds sterling, and we will go at once to the Ckadee." In 2005, the Turkish government in consultation with the

Wakf A waqf ( ar, وَقْف; ), also known as hubous () or ''mortmain'' property is an inalienable charitable endowment under Islamic law. It typically involves donating a building, plot of land or other assets for Muslim religious or charitabl ...

built a marker for his grave which is in the southern end of the

Mamilla Cemetery Ma'aman Allah (Mamilla) Cemetery ( ar, مقبرة مأمن الله) is a historic Muslim cemetery in West Jerusalem that dates back to the Crusades, and lies just to the west of the north-west corner of the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem ...

in west

Gallery

Image:AhmadAghaDuzdar.jpg, The Grave of Ahmad Agha Fadhelaldin Agha Al-Asali Duzdar in the

, Jerusalem File:David Roberts - Banks of the Jordan - 1927.78 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif, David Roberts' ''Immersion of the Pilgrims''; the accompanying text notes: "In this View Achmet Aga, the Governor of Jerusalem, with a part of his Arab guard, occupy the foreground."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duzdar, Ahmad Agha Al-Asali Arabs in Ottoman Palestine Palestinian politicians Year of birth unknown Place of birth unknown Year of death unknown Place of death unknown 19th-century people from the Ottoman Empire 19th-century politicians Mayors of Jerusalem