Husayn Pasha

Who is Husayn Pasha?

Husayn Pasha ibn Hasan Ridwan was the Ottoman governor of the Gaza Province, which stretched from Jaffa and Ramla in the north, Bayt Jibrin to the east and Rafah in the south, with Gaza as its capital. His reign extended from the 1650s until his death in 1663. He also administered the districts of Nablus and Jerusalem and served as the amir al-hajj. Husayn's rule was marked by a period of prosperity that temporarily established Gaza as the unofficial capital of Palestine. Notably, he maintained amiable relations with the Bedouin tribes of the Negev, the local Christian populations and the French consul in Jerusalem. In 1663 Husayn was imprisoned by the Ottoman central authorities and was killed in his Istanbul prison cell.