Ebubekir Pasha

Ebubekir Pasha (ابوبکر پاشا; Ebubekir Paşa), also referred to as Koca Bekir Pasha (Koca Bekir Paşa) and Abu Bakr Pasha (Ebu Bekir Paša; Απού Μπεκίρ Πασάς; 1670 – 1757/1758 ) was a 17th- and 18th-century Ottoman statesman. He served as Kapudan Pasha; as governor (wali) of the provinces of Egypt, Jeddah, Cyprus, and Bosnia; and as head of the Imperial Mint. He was the husband of Saffiye Sultan and son-in-law of Sultan Mustafa II.

A great philanthropist, Koca Bekir Pasha was considered one of the most enlightened and productive statesmen of his time.

Background
Ebubekir was born in 1670 in Alaiye (modern-day Alanya, Turkey).

Bekir Pasha (Larnaca) Aqueduct
His most notable legacy is the still-standing Larnaca Aqueduct ("Bekir Pasha Aqueduct") built in 1746. during his tenure as the Governor of Cyprus, which he financed personally to aid the water supply to the area.

Realizing the difficulties of fresh water access for the poor in the city, Koca Bekir Pasha built this massive aqueduct to improve the water supply to Larnaca. Built in the Roman style, the aqueduct carried water from a source about 6 mi south of Larnaca into the town. The water supply works involved a long underground tunnel, 250 air wells, and three series of overland arches. It was completed by 1746.

Foreign travellers have often counted it as the most important monument constructed during the Ottoman period in Cyprus. In 1754, Alexander Drummond noted that:

The aqueduct was repaired in 1856, and the renewed structure made it possible for the aqueduct to remain in active use until the 1950s. Relics of the aqueduct still stand outside Larnaca and are referred to as "The Kamares" ("The Arches") today. The aqueduct is illuminated at night.

Campaign to regain control of the Pashaluk of Belgrade


Taking advantage of an apparent power vacuum in Ottoman Rumelia, Osman Pazvantoğlu and Janissaries allied to him gained complete control of the Pashaluk of Belgrade and executed the Ottoman Vizier of Serbia Hadži Mustafa Pasha and also executed various Serbian factions that had opposed the authority of the Janissary on the northern fronts of the Ottoman Empire.

Alarmed by this event Sultan Selim III ordered Ebubekir Pasha of Bosnia and his servicemen such as Mehmed-beg Kulenović to lead an effort to regain control of the Pashaluk of Belgrade from the Janissaries and their protector Osman Pazvantoğlu of Vidin.

Other work
His signature is found under many major construction and reconstruction projects in every city he served as a governor.

During his tenure as the Governor of Cyprus, he helped revitalise the local economy by having 23 shops built in Nicosia financed by his personal funds.

Death and legacy
Koca Bekir Pasha died in 1757 or 1758 at the age of about 88 and was buried in Aksaray in Istanbul.

He donated his property to a foundation (vakıf) in his name and his will has been documented in detail.