Pasha is the diminutive form of the Russian given name Pavel.
Pasha is also a Finnish Easter dessert. Pasha is made of a mixture of dairy products, often spiced with almonds and raisins. Recipe: [1] http://www.upress.umn.edu/GreatScandinavianRecipes2.html#F
Pasha (Turkish spelling: paşa; also pascha, bashaw) was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire, typically given to governors and generals. Pashas governed territories called pashaluks or eyalets. Pashas ranked above beys, but below khedives and viziers.
It was in the gift of the sultan of Turkey and, by delegation, of the khedive of Egypt. The title appears, originally, to have been bestowed exclusively upon military commanders, but it is now given to any high official, and also to unofficial persons whom it is desired to honor.
It is conferred indifferently upom Moslems and Christians, and is frequently given to foreigners in the service of the Turks or Egyptians. Pashas are of three grades, formerly distinguished by the number of horse-tails (three, two and one respectively) which they were entitled to display as symbols of authority when on campaign. A pasbalik is a province governed by or under the jurisdiction of a pasha.
The word is variously derived from the Persian padshah, Turkish padishah, equivalent to king or emperor, and from the Turkish bash, in some dialects pash, a head, chief, etc. In old Turkish there was no fixed distinction between b and p. As first used in western Europe the title was written with the initial b. The English forms bashaw, bassaw, bucha, etc., general in the 16th and 17th century, were derived through the medieval Latin and Italian "bassa".
In usage, the title followed the given name. Although a title, and not hereditary, in English the title has commonly been used as if it were part of a personal name, as for instance in Ibrahim Pasha or Emin Pasha.
Notable pashas:
This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.
Last updated: 02-08-2005 03:00:25
Last updated: 05-03-2005 17:50:55
