Said Pasha

18th December 1834- 29th October 1907

The story of Cherifs father Said is a remarkable one, a small Kurdish boy who at the age of 14 left Slemani for the Ottoman capital Constantinople and would go on to fill some of the most important posts in the Ottoman Empire including ambassador to Berlin, Minister of Foreign Affairs and President of the Council of State. No other Kurd reached in Ottoman history held more important posts than he did.

There are many conflicting stories about how Said ended up in Constantinople, here is one of them:

At the age of 14 in Slemani Said was in charge of looking after the family horses, his uncle had reprimanded him for neglecting his duties, after this altercation Said had decided he was not content with life, so he took the most valuable horse and set off for Constantinople, a journey that would have taken months, upon arriving in Constantinople he sold the horse and used the money for three years tuition at a boarding school, he learnt Ottoman Turkish, Persian and French (Ottoman sources say he also attended the another school). His excellent command of French would prove pivotal in his future career, he was accepted into the translation office (Babıâli Tercüme Odası) of the Ottoman state where his intelligence caught the attention of officials, Said later became the head of the translation office in his mid twenties.

What is not clear is if his father Hussein came to Constantinople before him or after him, or they came together, some sources say his father held positions at the Baban court (Chamberlin or deputy ruler) and came with them to Constantinople during their forced exile and Said caught up with the caravan to be with his father. Others suggest Sait bought his father to Constantinople much later when he had gained enough success and wealth to be able to do so, there is evidence to support this including when titles were conferred upon Hussain and the age at which he had his second and third son. Even a journalist who met with Sait couldn’t provide clarity on this issue. Regardless his climb to the top of Ottoman hierarchy is truly astonishing.

Some of the posts held by Said

Governor of the Archipelago (Mediterranean Islands)

Ambassador to Berlin

Three times Minister of Foreign Affairs

President of the Council of State