Husayn Pasha ibn Makki
| Husayn Pasha ibn Makki | |
|---|---|
| Monarch |
Osman III (1754-1757) Mustafa III (1757-1774) Abdul Hamid I (1774-1789) |
| Wali of Damascus | |
|
In office February 1757 – December 1757 |
|
| Preceded by | As'ad Pasha al-Azm |
| Succeeded by | Çeteci Abdullah Pasha |
| Wali of Marash | |
|
In office 1762–1762 |
|
| Sanjak-Bey of Gaza | |
|
In office 1763–1765 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | Gaza, Damascus Eyalet, Ottoman Empire |
| Died | 1765 Gaza region, Damascus Eyalet, Ottoman Empire |
| Nationality | Ottoman |
| Religion | Islam |
Husayn Pasha ibn Makki (also known as Mekkizâde Hüseyin Paşa) (died 1765) served as the Ottoman wali (provincial governor) of Damascus and Marash, and the sanjak-bey (district governor) of Gaza. He was an Arab from Gaza, and one of the few ethnic Arab governors (the other Arab governors were mostly members of the al-Azm family) who had governed Ottoman Damascus.
Husayn Pasha was appointed Governor of Damascus in February 1757 to replace the deposed long-time governor, As'ad Pasha al-Azm. His term in office was short-lived and marked by chaos and violence in the city of Damascus. As he entered office a price hike for bread in the city spiked due to the short supply of grain as a result of the severe winter that preceded his rule. A popular uprising protesting the prices took place in the city. Damascene notables heading to Husayn Pasha's residence to welcome him were assaulted by some protesters and vocally condemned for alleged grain hoarding and "exploiting the poor and miserable". Husayn Pasha responded by ordering an investigation and soon after the prices decreased and calm was restored. However, this was short-lived and the prices rose within a few months. In the summer of 1757, mass violence spread throughout Damascus as rival factions of Jannisaries fought each other and besieged rival neighborhoods, while a popular revolt caused many mercenaries stationed in the city to flee.
As Governor of Damascus, Husayn Pasha was also the amir al-hajj (commander of the annual Hajj pilgrim caravan to Mecca). In April 1757, he went on a tour of the province's villages to collect the taxes imposed for funding the supply and protection of the caravan, and in June he led the caravan in its departure from Damascus. Husayn Pasha led it safely to Mecca, but on the return to Damascus, the caravan's jurdah (advance guard) was assaulted by a coalition of Bedouin tribes led Qa'dan al-Fa'iz of the Bani Saqr in al-Qatranah near al-Karak. Its commander Musa Pasha was wounded and died seeking help in Daraa, while most of the jurdah dispersed, fleeing to Hauran, Gaza, Jerusalem or Ma'an. Reinforcements were sent from Damascus, but went no further than al-Balqa. When Husayn Pasha, now in the northern Hejaz, realized reinforcements were not arriving, he attempted to bribe al-Fa'iz, but to no avail. The Bedouin tribes launched a massive assault against the caravan south of Tabuk in October, looting it and massacred Muslim pilgrims, including the sister of Ottoman sultan Osman II, in the process. About 20,000 pilgrims were killed by the Bedouin or died of thirst or excessive heat.
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Wikipedia