Halil Rıfat Paşa Tomb

Of Georgian origin; one of roughly one hundred children adopted and raised by the eminent statesman Koca Mehmed Hüsrev Paşa.
Held important offices during the reigns of Sultans Mahmud II and Abdülmecid.
After serving as mührdar (keeper of the imperial seal) and hazinedar (treasurer), rose to the post of Tophane müşiri (commander of the Tophane arsenal) and oversaw the construction of the Taksim Barracks.
Dispatched to Russia as envoy during the 1828-1829 Ottoman-Russian War.
On his return became Kaptan-ı Derya (grand admiral) to modernise the fleet, holding this office four times.
In 1834 married Sultan Mahmud II’s daughter Saliha Sultan, thus becoming an imperial son-in-law (damat) and member of the dynasty.
After Saliha Sultan’s death married İsmet Hanım; their marriage produced Mahmud Celaleddin Paşa.
Appointed Serasker (minister of war) in 1836, Ticaret Nazırı (minister of commerce) in 1839, Trabzon Valisi (governor of Trabzon) in 1845, and between 1848–1854 served as governor of Aydın, the Cezayir-i Bahr-i Sefid Eyalet, and Bursa.
Gürcü Halil Rıfat Paşa was the father of Grand Vizier Mahmud Celalettin Paşa and the grandfather of the noted Ottoman thinker and statesman Prince Sabahattin.

Construction Year: 1856

Ordered by: The Family and Endowment of Halil Rıfat Paşa

Architect: Unknown

Prominent Features:

Domed plan with an exterior clad in marble.
Six round-arched windows with iron grilles provide interior lighting.
A tomb-keeper’s room (türbedar odası) lies to the right of the entrance.
Located immediately beside the Eyüpsultan Hüsrev Pasha Tomb, highlighting Halil Rıfat Pasha’s upbringing in that Pasha’s household and their family connection.
Constructed of ashlar stone and follows the classical Ottoman türbe design.
Entrance façade is plain, featuring a classical arched doorway.
Regarded among the tombs of high-ranking statesmen in Eyüpsultan because it belongs to an imperial son-in-law (damat).
Restored in 1987.