Musa Agha al-Hasi

Musa Agha al-Hasi
BornUpper Egypt, Ottoman Empire
Died1830
Gaza, Damascus Eyalet
AllegianceOttoman Empire
Years of service1811-1830
CommandsCommander of Hawwara irregulars
Battles / warsSiege of Sanur (1830)
RelationsAqil Agha al-Hasi (son)
Salih Agha al-Hasi (son)
Ali al-Hasi (son)

Musa Agha al-Hasi was an Ottoman commander of Arab irregulars in the Galilee under governors Sulayman Pasha al-Adil and Abdullah Pasha.

Biography

Musa Agha came from Faiyum in Upper Egypt.[1] He hailed from the Bedouin Hanadi tribe.[2] When the Ottoman commander Jezzar Pasha stayed in Egypt in the late 18th century, he developed a close association with the Ainawiyeh tribe of the Damanhur region near the Nile Delta. On Jezzar's return to Palestine to end the autonomous rule of Zahir al-Umar and his sons on behalf of the Sublime Porte, he took with him a contingent of Ainawiyeh tribesmen and gave them the honorary name of 'Arab al-Hawwara, which was meant to associate them with the well-known, but unrelated, Upper Egyptian tribe, who were "distinguished ... in bravery, horsemanship and equipments", according to Macalister and Masterman.[1]

Following his death in 1804, Jezzar, who had become the Acre-based governor of Sidon Eyalet, was succeeded by Suleiman Pasha al-Adil.[1] In 1811, Musa moved to Gaza in Palestine.[3] Musa sought to enjoy the favor Suleiman and his predecessor gave to the Hawwara tribesmen and requested military service. Suleiman made him a commander of the Hawwara horsemen and his successor Abdullah Pasha promoted Musa to be in charge of an even larger Hawwara contingent.[1] Along with his co-commander, Ali Abu Zayd Agha, Musa was in charge of 400 horsemen.[4] According to the Macalister and Masterman, Musa "was famed for his bravery and generosity."[1]

According to Macalister and Masterman, Musa died during Abdullah Pasha's siege of Sanur.[1] However, according to historian Alexander Schölch, he died in Gaza in 1830.[2] Musa left three sons, Ali, Aqil, and Salih. Aqil succeeded his father as the Hawwara's commander.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Macalister and Masterman, 1906, pp. 222-223.
  2. ^ a b Schölch, 1993, p. 199.
  3. ^ Macalister and Masterman, 1906, p. 291
  4. ^ Thackston, 1988, p. 58

Bibliography

  • Macalister, R. A. Stewart; Masterman, E. W. G. (1906). "Occasional Papers on the Modern inhabitants of Palestine, part V". Quarterly Statement - Palestine Exploration Fund. 38: 221–225, 286–291.
  • Schölch, Alexander (1993). Palestine in Transformation, 1856-1882. Institute for Palestine Studies. ISBN 0-88728-234-2.
  • Thackston, Wheeler McIntosh (1988). Murder, Mayhem, Pillage, and Plunder: The History of the Lebanon in the 18th and 19th Centuries by Mikhayil Mishaqa (1800-1873). SUNY Press. ISBN 9780887067129.