Keki Abdi Pasha

Keki Abdi Pasha (sometimes spelled 'Abidi; died April 1789, Aleppo) was an Ottoman statesman. He served as the governor of the Sanjak of İçel (1779–80, 1781–82), Adana Eyalet (1780–81), Diyarbekir Eyalet (1782–84, 1785, 1786), Aleppo Eyalet, Rakka Eyalet (1784–85), Sivas Eyalet (1785–86), and Egypt Eyalet (1787–88, 1789).

Background Earlier in his career, he served as kapıcıbaşı (master of ceremonies) for the Ottoman sultan. He became a vizier in 1782.

As grand admiral Hasan Pasha moved towards Egypt, Abdi Pasha and his troops joined him. While waiting for the emirs to appear in order to engage them in battle on 24 October 1786, the news reached Abdi Pasha that the sultan had appointed him to be the governor of Egypt. However, Abdi Pasha wished to continue commanding his troops, so he told grand admiral Hasan Pasha that he could not take office until the Mamluks had been defeated and set out with his army to find them, leaving Hasan Pasha to continue being the de facto governor. while the pro-Ottoman Mamluk Emir Ismail Bey became Shaykh al-Balad (civil governor) and de facto ruler.

On 2 December 1788, a courier arrived from Istanbul, the Ottoman capital, that Abdi Pasha had been replaced as governor by Ismail Pasha the Tripolitanian, the former kethüda (deputy or assistant) of Kapudan Pasha Cezayirli Gazi Hasan Pasha. When the Mamluk emirs, who had secured a negotiation with Abdi Pasha as to their power, found out that he had been replaced by Ismail Pasha, they refused to honor the deal. This was successful, and within a month, on 3 January 1789, news arrived that Abdi Pasha had been reappointed the governor of Egypt and that he should drive the Mamluk emirs out of southern (Upper) Egypt.

Abdi Pasha left Egypt on 30 March 1789, headed for Diyarbekir (modern Diyarbakır), in order to gather troops to fight against the Russian Empire in the Russo-Turkish War (1787–92).

Death After gathering troops for the war with Russia, he traveled to Aleppo that same month (March) and died there in April.