Abu Bekr Pasha

Abu Bekr Pasha (Greek: Απού Μπεκίρ Πασάς) the son of Imbrahim (Governor of Cyprus), was a Turkish official who improved the water supply to Larnaca in 1746 . He was Governor of Larnaca and, later, Governor of Cyprus during 1746-1748. He was a ‘hadji’ (meaning he had been to pilgrimage in Mecca). The name Abu Bekr was shared by other noteworthy Muslims of the period, and an Abu Bekr Pasha was a ruler of Bosnia and Hercegovina in 1792.

Water supply to Larnaca

The water supply works involved a long underground tunnel, 250 air wells, and three series of overland arches. The works were financed from the personal funds of Abu Bekr who realised that the poor population of the area had to carry water from wells two hours walk from the town. He donated his property as Vacouf or Vakf (Holy donation to the cities Mecca and Medina). His will has been documented in detail .

Other work

Abu Bekr was a philanthropist and was considered as one of the most enlightened Turkish officials at the time. He was responsible for many recontruction works, one of which was the repair of a school in Nicosia. He revitalised the local economy by building 23 shops in the town using his own personal funds.

File:Kamares by javier lorenzo 2007.jpg

Kamares, Larnaca

Legacy

It is not known where or when he died, but after his death the terms of his will were not followed, and the water works remained deserted. His heirs were responsible for the maintainance expences but they allowed the entire work to fall into disrepair. Realising the importance of the works, the authorities in Larnaca made an effort to repair the water supply infrastructure, using public and private funds in 1856. The renewed structure made it possible for water to reach Larnaca and was actively used until the 1950’s. Relics of the works are now visible outside Larnaca in a location known as ‘Kamares’ (Arches).

References

See also Cyprus under the Ottoman Empire