Sulayman Pasha al-Azm

Sulayman Pasha al-Azm
Governor of Damascus
In office 1741–1743
Monarch	Mahmud I
Preceded by	Abdi Pashazade Ali Pasha
Succeeded by	As'ad Pasha al-Azm
In office 1734–1738
Preceded by	Abdullah Pasha al-Aydinli
Succeeded by	Husayn Pasha al-Bustanji
Governor of Egypt
In office 1739–1740
Monarch	Mahmud I
Preceded by	Ebubekir Pasha
Succeeded by	Hekimoğlu Ali Pasha
Governor of Sidon
In office 1728–1730
Monarch	Ahmed III Mahmud I
Preceded by	Köprülü Abdullah Pasha
Succeeded by	Ahmad Pasha Abu Tawq
Governor of Tripoli
In office 1725–1727
Monarch	Ahmed III
Preceded by	Ismail Pasha al-Azm
Personal details
Died	August 1743 Lubya, Sidon Eyalet, Ottoman Empire
Nationality	Ottoman
Relations	Al-Azm family Ismail Pasha al-Azm (brother)
Religion	Sunni Islam

Sulayman Pasha al-Azm (Arabic: سليمان باشا العظم‎‎; Turkish: Azmzâde Süleyman Paşa; died August 1743) was the governor of Sidon Eyalet (1727–33), Damascus Eyalet (1733–38, 1741–43), and Egypt Eyalet (1739–40) under the Ottoman Empire. 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, and Sa'deddin Pasha al-Azm, who also served as governor of Egypt.

Shortly after gaining the post of wali (governor) of Damascus Eyalet, a bread riot erupted in Damascus city 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 to fulfill his duties as amir al-hajj (commander of the Hajj caravan), "no one [on the caravan] greeted him." Later in 1734–1735, 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.

Sulayman commanded the Hajj caravan for the final time beginning in December 1742 and returning to Damascus in April 1743. Later 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]." 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.

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