Jazzar Pasha

Jezzar Pasha, in Acre , at court. Print from about year 1800. Entrance to Al-Jezzar Mosque, Acre , Israel Ahmed al-Jazzar (Arabic أحمد الجزار, Ottoman Turkish "Ahmet Bey" or "Jezzar Paşa" born 1720 (or in 1708) in Stolac in Bosnia , died 1804 in Acre, Damascus Wiliyah ) was the ruler of Acre and the Galilee from 1775 till his death.

Portrait of Jezzar Hajji Ahmed Pasha, governor of St John of Acre, oil on canvas, 53x61,5 cm "Djezzar" redirects here. Jezzar Pasha, in Acre , at court. Print from about year 1800. Entrance to Al-Jazzar Mosque, Acre , Israel Ahmed al-Jezzar ( ; ; 1708/1720 – 1804) was an Ottoman Bosnian ruler of Acre and the Galilee from 1775 until his death.

Ahmad Pasha al-Jazzar ( ; ; ca. 1720–30s – 7 May 1804) was the Acre -based Ottoman governor of Sidon from 1776 until his death in 1804. During this period, he also simultaneously served four terms as the governor of Damascus , a total of nine years. Al-Jazzar was a Bosnian of obscure origins. He began his military career in Egypt in the service of various Mamluk officials, eventually becoming a chief enforcer and assassin working for Ali Bey al-Kabir , Egypt's effective ruler. He gained the epithet of al-Jazzar (the Butcher) for his deadly ambush on a group of Bedouin tribesmen in retaliation for the death of his master in a Bedouin raid. Al-Jazzar fell out with Ali Bey in 1768 after refusing to take part in the assassination of one of his former masters. He ultimately fled to Syria , where he was tasked with defending Beirut from a joint assault by the Russian Navy and the forces of Zahir al-Umar . He eventually surrendered and entered Zahir's service before defecting from him and fleeing with stolen tax money. He was appointed as garrison commander of Acre following the Ottomans' defeat of Zahir. He set about pacifying Galilee and Mount Lebanon , which were dominated by Zahir's kinsmen and the Druze forces of Emir Yusuf Shihab , respectively. In 1776/77, he was appointed governor of Sidon, but relocated the province's capital to Acre, which he strongly fortified. In the following years, he defeated the forces of his erstwhile Shia Muslim ally, Nasif al-Nassar , consolidating his control over Jabal Amil . In 1795, al-Jazzar was appointed to his first of four terms as governor of Damascus, each time gaining increasing influence in the province's affairs in opposition to his rivals from the Azm family . In 1799, with the help of the British navy, al-Jazzar defended Acre from the forces of Napoleon Bonaparte , forcing the latter's army to withdraw from Palestine in disarray. His successful defense of Acre earned him prestige in the empire and made him well known in Europe. Al-Jazzar died in 1804 as the governor of both Sidon and Damascus. He was ultimately succeeded in Acre by his mamluk Sulayman Pasha al-Adil ; until his suppression of a mamluk revolt in 1789, al-Jazzar had appointed mamluks to senior posts in his military and administration. Al-Jazzar attempted to develop the areas under his control by improving road security and maintaining order. However, his domestic military expeditions and his stringently enforced and exploitative taxation policies precipitated high emigration, although cities such as Acre and Beirut prospered. The former became a powerful regional center rivaling Damascus and until today contains many architectural works commissioned by al-Jazzar, such as its walls, the el-Jazzar Mosque and the Khan al-Umdan caravanserai .

Ahmed Pasha al-Jazzar ( Arabic : أحمد باشا الجزّار , c. 1720–30s – 7 May 1804) was the Acre -based Bosniak Ottoman governor of Sidon Eyalet from 1776 until his death in 1804 and the simultaneous governor of Damascus Eyalet in 1785–1786, 1790–1795, 1798–1799, and 1803–1804. Having left his native Bosnia as a youth, he began a military career in Egypt in the service of mamluk officials, eventually becoming a chief enforcer for Ali Bey al-Kabir , Egypt's practical ruler. Al-Jazzar fell out with Ali Bey in 1768 after refusing to take part in the assassination of another of his former masters. He ultimately fled to Syria , where he was tasked by the Ottomans with defending Beirut from a joint assault by the Russian Navy and Zahir al-Umar , the Acre-based ruler of northern Palestine . He eventually surrendered and entered Zahir's service before defecting from him. After the Ottomans defeated and killed Zahir, they appointed al-Jazzar as their garrison commander in Acre. He pacified the Galilee and Mount Lebanon , which had been dominated by Zahir's kinsmen and the Druze forces of Yusuf Shihab , respectively. In 1776 or 1777, he was appointed governor of Sidon, but relocated the provincial capital to Acre, which he strongly fortified. In the following years, he defeated his erstwhile Shia Muslim ally, Nasif al-Nassar , consolidating his control over Jabal Amil (modern southern Lebanon). In 1785, al-Jazzar was appointed to his first of four terms as governor of Damascus, each time gaining more influence in the province's affairs in opposition to his rivals from the Azm family . In 1799, with the help of the British navy, al-Jazzar defended Acre from Napoleon , forcing the latter to withdraw from Palestine in disarray. His successful defense of Acre earned him prestige in the empire and made him well known in Europe. Al-Jazzar died in office in 1804. He was ultimately succeeded in Acre by his mamluk Sulayman Pasha al-Adil ; until his suppression of a mamluk revolt in 1789, al-Jazzar had appointed mamluks to senior posts in his military and administration. Al-Jazzar attempted to develop the areas under his control by improving road security and maintaining order. However, his domestic military expeditions and stringently enforced and exploitative taxation policies precipitated high emigration, although the cities of Acre and Beirut prospered. The former became a powerful regional center rivaling Damascus and until today contains many architectural works commissioned by al-Jazzar, such as its walls, the el-Jazzar Mosque and the Khan al-Umdan caravanserai .