Sultanzade Şemsi Ahmed Pasha, known simply as Şemsi Pasha (; d. 5 March 1580), was an Ottoman nobleman and ''
beylerbey
''Beylerbey'' (, meaning the 'commander of commanders' or 'lord of lords’, sometimes rendered governor-general) was a high rank in the western Islamic world in the late Middle Ages and early modern period, from the Anatolian Seljuks and the I ...
'' who occupied several high-ranking posts, serving at various stages as the Ottoman governor-general of the ''beylerbeyliks'' of
Damascus
Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...
,
Anatolia
Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
and
Rumeli
Rumelia (; ; ) was a historical region in Southeastern Europe that was administered by the Ottoman Empire, roughly corresponding to the Balkans. In its wider sense, it was used to refer to all Ottoman possessions and vassals in Europe. These ...
.
Ancestry
Born in
Bolu
Bolu is a city in northern Turkey, and administrative center of the Bolu Province and of Bolu District, in the OttomanEyalet of Anatolia, Şemsi Pasha was the son of Mirza Mehmed Pasha, of the princely ''Candaroğulları'' dynasty that reigned in the
principality
A principality (or sometimes princedom) is a type of monarchy, monarchical state or feudalism, feudal territory ruled by a prince or princess. It can be either a sovereign state or a constituent part of a larger political entity. The term "prin ...
of
Eflani
Eflani is a town in Karabük Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. It is the seat of Eflani District.Kastamonu
Kastamonu, formerly Kastamone/Castamone () and Kastamon/Castamon (), is a city in northern Turkey. It is the seat of Kastamonu Province and Kastamonu District.
and Sinop, and a descendant of Şemseddin Yaman Candar Bey, the dynasty's eponymous founder and first ''bey.'' His paternal grandfather was Kizil Ahmed Bey, son of Ibrahim II of Candar and an unknown consort. Ibrahim subsequently married Selçuk Hatun, daughter of
Mehmed I
Mehmed I (; – 26 May 1421), also known as Mehmed Çelebi (, "the noble-born") or ''Kirişçi'' (, "lord's son"), was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1413 to 1421. Son of Sultan Bayezid I and his concubine Devlet Hatun, he fought with hi ...
.
His mother was Şahnisa Sultan of the
Ottoman dynasty
The Ottoman dynasty () consisted of the members of the imperial House of Osman (), also known as the Ottomans (). According to Ottoman tradition, the family originated from the Kayı tribe branch of the Oghuz Turks, under the leadership of Os ...
, youngest daughter of
Şehzade Abdullah
Şehzade Abdullah ( 1525 – 1528) was an Ottoman prince, son of Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and his favorite Hurrem Sultan. He was born around 1525 in Eski Saray, the Ottoman Empire and died due to a disease, possibly smallpox, in ...
, son of Sultan
Bayezid II
Bayezid II (; ; 3 December 1447 – 26 May 1512) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1481 to 1512. During his reign, Bayezid consolidated the Ottoman Empire, thwarted a pro-Safavid dynasty, Safavid rebellion and finally abdicated his throne ...
, making Şemsi Pasha the great-grandson of
Mehmed the Conqueror
Mehmed II (; , ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror (; ), was twice the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from August 1444 to September 1446 and then later from February 1451 to May 1481.
In Mehmed II's first reign, ...
Topkapı Palace
The Topkapı Palace (; ), or the Seraglio, is a large museum and library in the east of the Fatih List of districts of Istanbul, district of Istanbul in Turkey. From the 1460s to the completion of Dolmabahçe Palace in 1856, it served as the ad ...
Enderun School
The Enderun School () was a palace school and boarding school within Topkapi Palace. It was mostly for princes of the court and the Janissaries of the Ottoman Empire. Students here were primarily recruited via ''devşirme'', a system of the Islam ...
Siege of Szigetvár
The siege of Szigetvár or the Battle of Szigeth (pronunciation: siɡɛtvaːr ; ; ) was an Ottoman siege of the fortress of Szigetvár in the Kingdom of Hungary. The fort had blocked Sultan Suleiman's line of advance towards Vienna in 156 ...
in 1566 alongside
Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman I (; , ; 6 November 14946 September 1566), commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent in the Western world and as Suleiman the Lawgiver () in his own realm, was the List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman sultan between 1520 a ...
in his capacity as ''
Beylerbey
''Beylerbey'' (, meaning the 'commander of commanders' or 'lord of lords’, sometimes rendered governor-general) was a high rank in the western Islamic world in the late Middle Ages and early modern period, from the Anatolian Seljuks and the I ...
'' of
Rumeli
Rumelia (; ; ) was a historical region in Southeastern Europe that was administered by the Ottoman Empire, roughly corresponding to the Balkans. In its wider sense, it was used to refer to all Ottoman possessions and vassals in Europe. These ...
, in addition to the conquest of several fortresses across Europe. During the reign of Suleiman I, Şemsi Pasha served as ''
beylerbey
''Beylerbey'' (, meaning the 'commander of commanders' or 'lord of lords’, sometimes rendered governor-general) was a high rank in the western Islamic world in the late Middle Ages and early modern period, from the Anatolian Seljuks and the I ...
''.
Widely renowned as a hunter of distinction, Şemsi Pasha was appointed hunting companion to
Sultan
Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...
Murad III
Murad III (; ; 4 July 1546 – 16 January 1595) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1574 until his death in 1595. His rule saw battles with the Habsburg monarchy, Habsburgs and exhausting wars with the Safavid Iran, Safavids. The long-inde ...
Mimar Sinan
Mimar Sinan (; , ; – 17 July 1588) also known as Koca Mi'mâr Sinân Âğâ, ("Sinan Agha (title), Agha the Grand Architect" or "Grand Sinan") was the chief Ottoman Empire, Ottoman architect, engineer and mathematician for sultans Suleiman ...
with the task of building a mosque and adjoining complex near his main seat, the Şemsi Pasha Palace on the
Bosphorus
The Bosporus or Bosphorus Strait ( ; , colloquially ) is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul, Turkey. The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and forms one of the continental bo ...
Şemsi Pasha Mosque
The Şemsi Pasha Mosque (, also spelled ''Chamsi-Pasha'') is an Ottoman mosque located in the large and densely populated district of Üsküdar, in Istanbul, Turkey.
History
The Şemsi Pasha Mosque was designed by Ottoman imperial architect ...
is one of the smallest mosques of Mimar Sinan's works in the city, yet is one of the most well-known due to a combination of its miniature dimensions and waterfront location. It is mentioned as a chief example of Mimar Sinan's skill in organically blending
architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...
with the
natural
Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the laws, elements and phenomena of the physical world, including life. Although humans are part ...
landscape.
Issue
Şemsi Pasha had one daughter and two sons:
* Fahrünnisa Hatun
* Mahmud Pasha
* Mustafa Bey
See also
*
Şemsi Pasha Mosque
The Şemsi Pasha Mosque (, also spelled ''Chamsi-Pasha'') is an Ottoman mosque located in the large and densely populated district of Üsküdar, in Istanbul, Turkey.
History
The Şemsi Pasha Mosque was designed by Ottoman imperial architect ...
*
List of Ottoman governors of Damascus
This is a list of rulers of Damascus from ancient times to the present.
:''General context: History of Damascus''.
Aram Damascus
* Rezon I (c. 950 BC)
* Tabrimmon
*Ben-Hadad I (c. 885 BCE–c. 865 BC)
*Hadadezer (c. 865 BC–c. 842 BC)
*Hazael (c. ...