Halil Pasha

Halil Pasha was an Ottoman statesman who served as the governor of Ottoman Egypt from 1631 to 1633. He was known for his "gentle, impartial, and prosperous administration" which was in large contrast to the "rapacious" administration of his predecessor, Koca Musa Pasha.

Governorship Halil Pasha assumed office by arriving in Egypt in October 1631.

Mecca war On 17 March 1632, he received intelligence that Arab armies had been on their way from Yemen to Ottoman-held Mecca with intentions to conquer it, and that they had indeed successfully conquered it and sacked it, killing the Sharif of Mecca, among others. When Halil Pasha told this news to his troops in Cairo, one emir, Kasım Bey, volunteered to lead an expedition to Mecca to take the city back from the Yemenis. Halil Pasha agreed, further assigning him assistants and organizing the troop officers and ranks for the war. Seeing that it was too numerous to overcome, the Yemeni army retreated to Wadi Abbas valley and hid in a fort named Turbet. The Yemenis finally capitulated and surrendered, meeting Kasım Bey's requests for them to turn over to him Kör Mahmud and his brother. Kasım Bey allowed the Yemenis to leave the fort; only 300 of the original 1000 remained alive.

Later life After Halil Pasha returned to Istanbul, Sultan Murad IV confiscated his fortune and exiled him to Cyprus, but he later changed his mind and allowed him to continue his career as a statesman. He was made governor of Ottoman Cyprus until his death in 1639.