Sulayman Pasha al-Azm
Sulayman Pasha al-Azm سليمان باشا العظم Azmzâde Süleyman Paşa | |
|---|---|
| Ottoman Governor of Sidon | |
| In office 1727–1733 | |
| Monarchs | Ahmed III, Mahmud I |
| Ottoman Governor of Damascus | |
| In office 1733–1738 | |
| Monarch | Mahmud I |
| Preceded by | vacant |
| Succeeded by | Husein Pasha II |
| Ottoman Governor of Egypt | |
| In office 1739–1740 | |
| Monarch | Mahmud I |
| Preceded by | Ebubekir Pasha |
| Succeeded by | Hekimoğlu Ali Pasha |
| Ottoman Governor of Damascus | |
| In office 1741–1743 | |
| Monarch | Mahmud I |
| Preceded by | Abdi Pashazade Ali Pasha |
| Succeeded by | As'ad Pasha al-Azm |
| Personal details | |
| Died | May 1743 Damascus, Ottoman Syria |
| Nationality | Ottoman |
Sulayman Pasha al-Azm (Template:Lang-ar; Template:Lang-tr; died May 1743) was the governor of Sidon Eyalet (1727–33), Damascus Eyalet (1733–38, 1741–43), and Egypt Eyalet (1739–40) under the Ottoman Empire.[1][2] He belonged to the prominent Arab al-Azm clan and was the uncle of As'ad Pasha al-Azm, who succeeded him as governor of Damascus.
Governorships of Damascus
Shortly after gaining the post of wali ("governor"), a bread riot erupted in Damascus during the winter of 1734. Because of al-Azm's perceived inaction during the riot, local mobs attacked grain storehouses that personally belonged to him. He responded quickly and had four demonstrators hanged, infuriating popular opinion in the city. When he left afterwards as commander of the hajj caravan, "no one [on the caravan] greeted him."[3] Later in 1734-35, al-Azm improved his reputation by embarking on a campaign of energetic reforms, abolishing unspecified abuses that harmed local artisans. The abundant wheat harvest that spring was critical to his rehabilitation in the eyes of the people of Damascus.[3]
In 1743, another bread riot occurred in Damascus, with hungry mobs attacking the courthouse, driving out the qadi and storming local bakeries. Al-Azm attributed the uprising to the tampering of the food supply by the grain owners, millers, and wholesalers. He issued threats to the above individuals and bread reappeared on the market immediately. In a show of gratitude to al-Azm, "The people prayed for His Excellency [the Governor]."[3] That same year al-Azm sponsored public celebrations upon the occasion of his son's circumcision. He decorated the markets and arranged for seven days and nights of singing, dancing, and other amusements. On the final day of celebrations, he staged a mass circumcision for poor youths and in an act of zakat ("charity"), he showered two gold coins and a new garment on each boy.[4]
See also
- Khan Sulayman Pasha
- al-Azm clan
- List of Ottoman governors of Damascus
- List of Ottoman governors of Egypt
References
- ^ Mehmet Süreyya (1996) [1890], Nuri Akbayar; Seyit A. Kahraman (eds.), Sicill-i Osmanî (in Turkish), Beşiktaş, Istanbul: Türkiye Kültür Bakanlığı and Türkiye Ekonomik ve Toplumsal Tarih Vakfı, p. 1546
- ^ 'Abd al-Rahman Jabarti; Thomas Philipp; Moshe Perlmann (1994). Abd Al-Rahmann Al-Jabarti's History of Egypt. Vol. 1. Franz Steiner Verlag Stuttgart. p. 246.
- ^ a b c Grehan, 2007, p.87.
- ^ Grehan, 2007, p.229.
Bibliography
- Commins, David Dean (2004), Historical dictionary of Syria, Scarecrow Press, ISBN 978-0-8108-4934-1
- Grehan, James (2007), Everyday life & consumer culture in 18th-century Damascus, University of Washington Press, ISBN 978-0-295-98676-0