Tusun Pasha (, , ; 1794 – 28 September 1816) was the younger son of
Muhammad Ali Pasha,
Wāli
''Wāli'', ''Wā'lī'' or ''vali'' (from ''Wālī'') is an administrative title that was used in the Muslim world (including the Rashidun, Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates and the Ottoman Empire) to designate governors of administrative divis ...
of
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
between 1805 and 1849, by
Amina Hanim. He was the father of
Abbas I of Egypt (1812–1854) by princess
Pembe Qadin. He is buried in
Hosh al-Basha, the royal mausoleum of the royal family at the Imam
al-Shafi'i
Al-Shafi'i (; ;767–820 CE) was a Muslim scholar, jurist, muhaddith, traditionist, theologian, ascetic, and eponym of the Shafi'i school of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence. He is known to be the first to write a book upon the principles ...
,
Cairo
Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
, Egypt.
Life
Though not as well known as Muhammad Ali's other son
Ibrahim Pasha, Tusun Pasha did nevertheless attain some historical significance in the
Ottoman–Saudi War, having led in 1811 the successful military campaign of the Egyptian army in the
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world.
Geographically, the ...
, which was taken up in order to subdue unrest created in that region by
Wahabbi forces. Tusun Pasha successfully retook the city of Mecca, and occupied Hijaz.
It appears from historical records that, despite not being the eldest son, Tusun was destined by Muhammad Ali to carry on his legacy. This aspiration, however, was not to materialise, as Tusun died in 1816 – possibly of disease – in the village of Birinbal. His older brother Ibrahim succeeded him in the role of chief military commander.
Legacy
Decades later, in 1848, Tusun's son,
Abbas I, inherited the role of Wali from his uncle
Ibrahim, and served in this position for six years, before being murdered in 1854.
The
Alabaster Mosque (Mosque of Muhammad Ali) was built by Muhammad Ali Pasha in memory of his son Tusun Pasha. It is in the
Citadel of Cairo in Egypt, with construction commissioned between 1830 and 1848.
In popular culture
The 1976 Turkish film ''
Tosun Paşa'' features a heavily fictionalised Tusun Pasha (played by Oktar Durukan) where the story involves his identity being taken by the protagonist played by
Kemal Sunal.
Tosun Pasa
IMDb.com
See also
*Muhammad Ali dynasty
The Muhammad Ali dynasty or the Alawiyya dynasty was the ruling dynasty of Egypt and Sudan from the 19th to the mid-20th century. It is named after its progenitor, the Albanians, Albanian Muhammad Ali of Egypt, Muhammad Ali, regarded as the fou ...
References
{{Muhammad Ali dynasty
19th-century people from the Ottoman Empire
19th-century Ottoman governors of Egypt
Muhammad Ali dynasty
Pashas
Political people from the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman people of the Wahhabi war
1794 births
1816 deaths
Ottoman governors of Egypt
Muhammad Ali of Egypt
Sons of monarchs
Egyptian royalty