Ḥusayn Pasha ibn Ḥasan ibn Aḥmad ibn Riḍwān ibn Muṣṭafā ibn ʿAbd al-Muʿīn Pasha () (died 1662 or 1663) was the Ottoman governor of Gaza Sanjak, a district which extended from Jaffa and Ramla in the north to Bayt Jibrin in the southeast and Rafah in the south, with Gaza as its capital. Husayn belonged to the Ridwan family, who long held the governorship of Gaza. Husayn Pasha became governor in 1644 after succeeding his father 'Arab Hasan Pasha. He served, with a brief interruption by his son Ibrahim in 1660, until his imprisonment in 1662. Husayn Pasha also served intermittent terms as governor of Nablus and Jerusalem and as amir al-hajj (commander of the Hajj caravan). Gaza prospered under Husayn Pasha and its political importance rose so much so that the French consul considered it to be the virtual capital of Palestine. Husayn Pasha maintained friendly relations with the Bedouin tribes of the region, local Christian communities and the French. In 1662, Husayn Pasha was imprisoned by the Ottoman imperial authorities and executed in Damascus later that year or in Constantinople in 1663.
Biography
In the mid-17th century Husayn Pasha served as governor of Jerusalem and Nablus. From 1524, his family, the Ridwan dynasty, had administered much of Palestine and parts of the Lebanon and Syria on behalf of their Ottoman superiors based in Constantinople and Damascus. Husayn Pasha was also appointed amir al-hajj (commander of the Hajj caravan). This position entrusted him with provisioning and protecting the annual Hajj pilgrim caravan from Bedouin raids while the pilgrims traversed the desert route to Mecca in the Hejaz.
Governor of Gaza
Husayn inherited the governorship of Gaza from his father 'Arab Hasan Pasha following the latter's removal from the post in 1644. Prior to the assumption of this post, Gaza was in an impoverished economic state and the Ridwan family was greatly indebted. In 1656, the Ottoman central authorities, wary of Husayn Pasha's overarching influence in Palestine, attempted to implicate Husayn Pasha in a corruption scandal regarding unclear cash and property transactions in a Nablus-based meeting between himself, his brother-in-law Assaf Pasha, a group of notables from Jabal Nablus and an Ottoman official from Istanbul, Ismail Pasha. According to contemporary testimonies, a group of village headmen from Jabaliya apparently harmed by the Nablus deal went to Damascus to lodge a complaint to the authorities against Ismail Pasha. However, they were advised by the Ottoman authorities in Damascus to instead file the complaint against Husayn Pasha, in an effort to undermine his credibility.
To restore Gaza's failing commerce sector, Husayn Pasha obtained a large loan from the French consul in Jerusalem, Chevalier d'Arvieux. When pressed to pay in 1659, Husayn made strenuous efforts to produce the funds and promptly paid back d'Arvieux in a meeting in the town of Ramla. D'Arvieux then proceeded to lavish fine robes and cloth to show his gratitude to Husayn Pasha.
Husayn Pasha maintained a positive reputation among the Bedouin tribes who largely dominated the desert areas surrounding Gaza. This relationship resulted in a drastic fall in the previously routine armed conflict between the nomadic Bedouin and the settled population of Gaza and the nearby towns. According to his contemporary biographer, Muhammad al-Muhibbi, Husayn Pasha was able to subdue the Bedouin tribes and gain their cooperation. The Bedouin tribal chiefs reportedly visited his court in Gaza to pay their respects. According to historian Martin Abraham Meyer, Husayn's influence over the Bedouin was "marked" and they ended their plundering campaigns against the city, allowing its economy to grow unhindered.
A more able governor than his predecessor, Husayn Pasha was able to restore the Ridwan family's wealth, and Gaza entered into a period of prosperity. The status of the city was elevated to the point that d'Arvieux described it as the capital of Palestine. Husayn Pasha's rule over Gaza was considered beneficent, and according to Meyer "all things prospered under his rule." Economic activity at the time was principally agricultural and centered on the cultivation of grain. While industry was primitive, Gaza became a principal manufacturer of soap and wine. Husayn was well known throughout Palestine for his many charities and hospitality.