Ismail Pasha al-Azm

Ismail Pasha al-Azm
Wali of Crete
In office
1731–1732
MonarchMahmud I
Preceded bySahin Mehmed Pasha
Succeeded byHaci Halil Pasha
Wali of Damascus
In office
1725–1730
MonarchAhmed III
Preceded byÇerkes Osman Pasha (Abu Tawq)
Succeeded byAbdullah Pasha al-Aydinli
Wali of Tripoli
In office
1721–1725
MonarchAhmed III
Succeeded bySulayman Pasha al-Azm
Personal details
RelationsAl-Azm family
Sulayman Pasha al-Azm (brother)
ChildrenAs'ad Pasha al-Azm
Sa'deddin Pasha al-Azm
Military service
AllegianceOttoman Empire
CommandsAmir al-hajj (1725–1730)
Agha of Ma'arra (until 1719)

Ismail Pasha al-Azm was an Ottoman statesman who served as the governor of Damascus and amir al-hajj in 1725–1730. Prior to this post he served as the agha (local commander) of Ma'arrat al-Nu'man and steadily moved up the ranks to become the governor of the districts of Ma'arrat al-Nu'man, Hama and Homs in 1719 and then governor of Tripoli in 1721 before being assigned to the Damascus governorship.

His consistent promotion was attributed to his successes in restoring order to the Syrian countryside after a period of high instability, protecting Syria's farmlands from Bedouin raids and ensuring the safety of the annual Hajj pilgrim caravan to Mecca. Although he was deposed from the governorship in 1730, he established his family, al-Azm, as a major political household in Syria whose members were frequently appointed as the governors of the Damascus, Tripoli and Sidon provinces and who often served longer than typical terms.