Babanzade Mustafa Zihni Pasha was born in 1838 in Sulaymaniyah, the son of Husayn Bey and grandson of Khalid Pasha II, the fourth ruler of the Baban Dominion. Khalid Pasha was the brother of Ibrahim Pasha, founder of the city of Sulaymaniyah.
In 1847, following the fall of the Baban Dominion, Mustafa Zihni Pasha was exiled with his father to Baghdad, where he completed his education. In 1860, he was appointed Deputy Governor of Baghdad, and later served as the Ottoman Empire’s Minister of Trade and Agriculture.
From 1886 to 1891, he held the position of Supervisor of Ottoman Endowments, after which he served as Inspector General of the Ottoman Army until 1901. He subsequently became Deputy Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire.
Among his most notable written works are The State of the Caliphate, The Expansion of Authorizations, and The Sincere Morals.
One of his lasting contributions was the construction of the Zihni Pasha Mosque in the Erenkoy district on the Asian side of Istanbul, funded entirely at his own expense. The project was overseen by the renowned architect Vedat Tek.
Mustafa Zihni Pasha also owned a large palace in Istanbul, which he initially used as a hunting lodge before converting it into a girls’ school.
He was the father of five sons, all of whom were highly educated:
Mustafa Zihni Pasha died on July 17, 1929, in Istanbul.
Written and prepared by Baban Zade Mehmet Fatih Bey
Photos
Baban Family Archive
