İskender Paşa Tomb
About the Person:
- Known as a Circassian, İskender Paşa was born in the 1490s in the region between the Aral Sea and the Caspian Sea. He and his family migrated to the Ottoman Empire, settling in the city of Trabzon.
- In the 1510s, he moved from Trabzon to Istanbul and joined the service of Deli Hüsrev Paşa, reportedly accompanying him on several military campaigns.
- When Hüsrev Paşa was appointed Beylerbeyi of Rumelia, İskender Paşa followed him. He was later promoted to the rank of sancakbeyi (district governor).
- In 1546, he was appointed to the Arab and Persian Head Treasury, which combined the financial offices of Diyarbakır, Damascus, and Aleppo. The following year, he was called to Istanbul and appointed Head Treasurer of Anatolia.
- That same year, following the second and final conquest of Van, he became the province’s first beylerbeyi (governor-general) at his own request.
- In 1551, he was transferred to the governorship of Erzurum. During this time, he waged war against the Georgians and, after a 33-day siege, captured Ardanuç Castle, bringing it under Ottoman control.
- İskender Paşa served as Beylerbeyi of Diyarbakır for 14 consecutive years until 1566. He was later appointed governor of Baghdad, and in 1569, governor of Egypt.
- Described in sources as intelligent, majestic, accomplished, just, compassionate, learned, and brave, İskender Paşa was fluent in Arabic and Persian. He enjoyed hosting scholarly gatherings in his mansion and was fond of jurisprudential and Sufi discussions. Although no divan (poetry collection) survives, he was known to engage in poetry.
About the Tomb::
Construction Year: 1571
Ordered by: İskender Paşa
Architect: Mimar Sinan
Prominent Features:
- The tomb has a rectangular plan and is built from finely cut stone. It is covered with a flat wooden roof.
- The front façade features a flattened arch doorway and four windows; the rear façade has five windows, and each side façade has three.
- It was restored in 1850.
- The interior is simple and unadorned.
- Inside are two marble sarcophagi belonging to İskender Paşa and his son Ahmet Paşa.
