Darwish Pasha al-Kurji

Darwish Pasha al-Kurji
Wali of Sidon
In office September 1770 – October 1771
Monarch	Mahmud II
Preceded by	Muhammad Pasha al-Azm
Succeeded by	Recep Pasha (de jur) Zahir al-Umar (de facto)
Wali of Damascus
In office June 1783 – 1784
Monarch	Mahmud II
Preceded by	Muhammad Pasha al-Kurji
Succeeded by	Ahmad Pasha al-Jazzar
Personal details
Nationality	Ottoman
Relations	Muhammad Pasha al-Kurji (brother)
Parents	Uthman Pasha al-Kurji
Religion	Islam

Darwish Pasha al-Kurji (also known as Osmanzade Dervish Pasha) was an Ottoman statesman who served as wali (governor) of Sidon in 1770–1771 and Damascus in 1783–1784.^[1][2] He was the son of Uthman Pasha al-Kurji, who was of Georgian origin.

Darwish Pasha owed his assignment as Wali of Sidon in September 1771 to his father's influence with the Sublime Porte (Ottoman imperial government).^[3] Darwish Pasha was dismissed from Sidon in October 1771 after fleeing Sidon after arrival of the rebellious Arab sheikh of northern Palestine, Zahir al-Umar, who occupied the city. Darwish Pasha was subsequently appointed wali of Karaman in November.^[4] He was appointed wali of Damascus in June 1783, replacing his brother Muhammad Pasha al-Kurji who died shortly after taking office. However, the Sublime Porte deemed Darwish Pasha to be incompetent and ultimately replaced him with Ahmad Pasha al-Jazzar.^[5]

References

1. Joudah 1987, p. 144.
2. "Syria". The World Statesman. Ben Cahoon.
3. Joudah 1987, p. 59.
4. Joudah 1987, p. 86.
5. Philipp 2001, p. 71.

Bibliography

• Joudah, Ahmad Hasan (1987). Revolt in Palestine in the Eighteenth Century: The Era of Shaykh Zahir Al-ʻUmar. Kingston Press. ISBN 978-0-940670-11-2.
• Philipp, Thomas (2001). Acre: The Rise and Fall of a Palestinian City, 1730–1831. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-50603-8.