Uthman Pasha al-Kurji
| Uthman Pasha al-Kurji | |
|---|---|
| Wali of Damascus | |
|
In office 1760 – October 1771 |
|
| Preceded by | Muhammad Pasha al-Shalik |
| Succeeded by | Muhammad Pasha al-Azm |
| Personal details | |
| Nationality | Ottoman |
| Children | Muhammad Darwish |
| Religion | Islam |
Uthman Pasha al-Kurji (also known as Uthman Pasha al-Sadiq, alternative spellings include Othman, Osman or Usman and al-Kurdji or Kurzi), was the Ottoman governor (wali) of Damascus Eyalet between 1760 and 1771.
Uthman had Georgian origins. Prior to his appointment to the governorship of Damascus, Uthman Pasha was a mamluk (slave soldier) of Governor As'ad Pasha al-Azm and thus maintained close links with the powerful al-Azm family. When As'ad Pasha was removed from his post by the Sublime Porte, he was succeeded by a number of short-term governors who were unable to halt the violence between the local forces and the Jannisary garrison in the city.
Uthman Pasha was appointed governor of Damascus Eyalet in 1761. He was nominated to this position as a reward for directing the Ottoman imperial authorities to As'ad Pasha's hidden stores of wealth. In addition to the governorship of Damascus, he was appointed beylerbey (governor-general) of the adjacent Tripoli Eyalet and awarded contracts for the districts of Hama and Homs. His rule brought stability to the province and he lowered its inhabitants' taxes.
As governor, one of Uthman Pasha's principal goals became bringing an end to the autonomous rule of Zahir al-Umar, who ruled the Galilee (largely part of Sidon Eyalet) and some of its neighboring regions. al-Umar had previously clashed with the al-Azm governors of Damascus and Sidon and when he annexed the port city of Haifa in 1761, Uthman Pasha began making moves against Zahir. Uthman Pasha obtained an order from the Porte to officially annex Haifa to Damascus Eyalet and he dispatched a ship from Beirut with 30 soldiers and a French captain to take the port. Zahir, having had advance notice of this action, had the ship confiscated and its crew arrested. In 1764, Uthman launched an attack against the Jarrar clan under their sheikh, Muhammad al-Jarrar, attacking their throne village of Sanur and the city of Nablus. Uthman's forces were defeated.
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