Gevherhan Sultan

Birth

Gevherhan was born in Constantinople between 1605 and 1608. Her father, Sultan Ahmed I named her in honor of his great aunt Gevherhan Sultan, who had introduced his mother Handan Sultan to his father Mehmed III.

The identity of her mother is uncertain, but she is thought to be either Mahfiruz Hatice sultan or Kösem Sultan.

First marriage

In the summer of 1612, Gevherhan was married, as arranged by Ahmed, to Öküz Kara Mehmed Pasha, who served as the governor of Egypt from 1607 to 1611, and Grand Admiral of the Ottoman fleet in 1611. The wedding took place at the Old Palace, and the couple were given the Palace of Ibrahim Pasha as their residence. Over a seven-month period, the expenses for providing bread, rice, and lamb to wedding guests and the capital's residents amounted to nearly 2,000,000 aspers. Additionally, during the festivities, an unidentified French observer in Istanbul witnessed Gevherhan's opulent dowry, featuring a solid gold bride-crown, a large chest filled with precious stones and jewels, and numerous rolls of silk. Mehmed served as Grand Vizier from 1614 until 1616 under Ahmed, and then again for a few months in 1619 under Osman II. After being dismissed from the office a second time, he died in Aleppo around 1621. With him, Gevherhan had a son.

Second marriage

In 1622, during Osman II's reign, Gevherhan married Topal Recep Pasha, who in 1632 served as Grand Vizier under her brother Murad IV and was executed the same year. With Recep Pasha, she had a daughter.

Issue

Gevherhan had a son by her first marriage:

Sultanzade Fülan Bey (born 1621/1622). He died in infancy. His name is unknown.

Gevherhan had a daughter by her second marriage:

Safiye Hanımsultan (January 1630 – c. 1682). She married the future Grand Vizier Abaza Siyavuş Pasha.

In popular culture

In the 2015 TV series Muhteşem Yüzyıl: Kösem, Gevherhan is portrayed by Turkish actresses Çağla Naz Kargı and Asli Tandoğan as a child and adult respectively.