Abidin Paşa

Âbidin Paşa was born in Preveza in 1843 and belonged to the Dino family, known in the Çamlık region of Albania. His father was Ahmed Dino Bey and his mother belonged to the Çapar dynasty. In childhood he learned Turkish and Greek; alongside madrasa education, he also studied Persian, Arabic, French and Greek.

He began his official career in palace service as a silahşor. After duties in Preveza, he served as governor of the sanjaks of Erbaa, Tekfurdağı, Varna and Yenişehir. He later served as governor of Sivas, Salonica, Adana, Ankara and the Province of the Aegean Islands, and in 1880 briefly held the office of Minister of Foreign Affairs. The memory of his governorship of Ankara survives today in the name of the Abidinpaşa district of Ankara.

Âbidin Paşa was known not only as a statesman but also for his scholarly and literary side. His Tercüme ve Şerh-i Mesnevî-i Şerîf, a translation and commentary on Mevlânâ’s Mesnevî, is his most famous work. He also wrote Tercüme ve Şerh-i Kasîde-i Bürde, Âlem-i İslâmiyyet Müdâfaa, Meâlî-i İslâmiyye and Saâdet-i Dünyâ.

His Sufi interests and connection with Mevlevi culture are especially emphasized in his grave text. Âbidin Paşa, who became attached to Nureddin Efendi, postnişin of the Merkezefendi Lodge in Istanbul, gained a distinct place in late Ottoman intellectual and Sufi circles through his commentary on the Mesnevî.

Âbidin Paşa died at Yıldız Palace on 9 May 1906 and was buried in the tomb bearing his name in the Fatih Mosque Cemetery. There are two sarcophagi in the tomb; the other belongs to his brother Veysel Paşa.