Ismail Pasha al-Azm
| Ismail Pasha al-Azm | |
|---|---|
| Wali of Crete | |
|
In office 1731–1732 |
|
| Monarch | Mahmud I |
| Preceded by | Sahin Mehmed Pasha |
| Succeeded by | Haci Halil Pasha |
| Wali of Damascus | |
|
In office 1725–1730 |
|
| Monarch | Ahmed III |
| Preceded by | Çerkes Osman Pasha (Abu Tawq) |
| Succeeded by | Abdullah Pasha al-Aydinli |
| Wali of Tripoli | |
|
In office 1721–1725 |
|
| Monarch | Ahmed III |
| Succeeded by | Sulayman Pasha al-Azm |
| Personal details | |
| Relations |
Al-Azm family Sulayman Pasha al-Azm (brother) |
| Children |
As'ad Pasha al-Azm Sa'deddin Pasha al-Azm |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Ottoman Empire |
| Commands |
Amir al-hajj (1725–1730) Agha of Ma'arra (until 1719) |
Ismail Pasha al-Azm was an Ottoman statesman who served as the governor of Damascus and amir al-hajj in 1725–1730. Prior to this post he served as the agha (local commander) of Ma'arrat al-Nu'man and steadily moved up the ranks to become the governor of the districts of Ma'arrat al-Nu'man, Hama and Homs in 1719 and then governor of Tripoli in 1721 before being assigned to the Damascus governorship.
His consistent promotion was attributed to his successes in restoring order to the Syrian countryside after a period of high instability, protecting Syria's farmlands from Bedouin raids and ensuring the safety of the annual Hajj pilgrim caravan to Mecca. Although he was deposed from the governorship in 1730, he established his family, al-Azm, as a major political household in Syria whose members were frequently appointed as the governors of the Damascus, Tripoli and Sidon provinces and who often served longer than typical terms.
Ismail was the son of a professional Ottoman soldier who settled in Ma'arrat al-Nu'man (Ma'arra) in the mid-17th century. Ismail was known as "Ibn al-Azm" (Son of al-Azm) and early in his career as "Ismail Agha". He is first mentioned in the history records in 1717, when, as the agha (local military commander) of Ma'arra, he sent wheat and barley provisions to Homs after that city faced a food shortage following an attack by Bedouin raiders. In 1719, he was appointed the mutasallim (district governor) of the Ma'arra, Homs and Hama sanjaks (districts); Ma'arra was part of Aleppo Eyalet, while Homs and Hama were part of Tripoli Eyalet. Ismail was charged with repopulating villages that had been abandoned due to Bedouin raids and restoring order in the districts. In late 1719, the central authorities commanded him to forcibly settle the nomadic and frequently rebellious Turkmen tribesmen of the region in villages in his territory.
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