Şemsi Pasha

Sultanzade Şemsi Ahmed Pasha, known simply as Şemsi Pasha (شمسي أحمد پاشا; d. 5 March 1580), was a distinguished Ottoman nobleman and beylerbey who occupied several high-ranking posts, serving at various stages as the Ottoman governor-general of the beylerbeyliks of Damascus, Anatolia and Rumeli.

Ancestry
Born in Bolu, in the Ottoman Eyalet of Anatolia, Şemsi Pasha was the son of Mirza Mehmed Pasha, of the princely Candaroğulları dynasty  that reigned in the principality of Eflani, Kastamonu and Sinop, and a descendant of Şemseddin Yaman Candar Bey,  the dynasty's eponymous founder and first bey. His paternal grandfather was Kyzyl Ahmed Bey, son of Ibrahim II of Candar and unknown consort. Later, Ibrahim married Selçuk Hatun, daughter of Mehmed I.

His mother was Şahnisa Sultan of the Ottoman dynasty,  youngest daughter of Şehzade Abdullah, son of Sultan Bayezid II,  making Şemsi Pasha the great-grandson of Mehmed the Conqueror.

Life
Raised in the imperial residence of the period, Topkapı Palace, Şemsi Pasha attended the prestigious Ottoman Enderun School, and in the family tradition, participated in various Ottoman military campaigns, notably the Siege of Szigetvár in 1566 alongside Suleiman the Magnificent in his capacity as Beylerbey of Rumeli, in addition to the conquest of several fortresses across Europe. During the reign of Suleiman I, Şemsi Pasha served as beylerbey.

Widely renowned as a hunter of distinction, Şemsi Pasha was appointed hunting companion to Sultan Murad III.

Following his service, he charged pre-eminent Ottoman imperial architect Mimar Sinan with the task of building a mosque and adjoining complex near his main seat, the Şemsi Pasha Palace on the Bosphorus shoreline in Constaninople. The Şemsi Pasha Mosque is one of the smallest mosques of Mimar Sinan's works in the city, yet is one of the most well-known due to a combination of its miniature dimensions and waterfront location. It is mentioned as a chief example of Mimar Sinan's skill in organically blending architecture with the natural landscape.

Issue
Şemsi Pasha had one daughter and two sons:
 * Fahrünnisa Hatun
 * Mahmud Pasha
 * Mustafa Bey