Djezzar, Ahmed (c.1735-1804)

Bosnian-born administrator in the Ottoman Empire who gained a reputation for extreme cruelty. During Napoleon's campaign in Palestine in 1798-99, he sided with the British.

When still young, Dzejjar was sold into slavery in Egypt, but rose to be governor of Beirut, and finally pasha of Acre and Damascus. In 1799, with the help of British forces under Sir Sidney Smith, he defended Acre for a month against the French.