Murad Agha

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Murad Agha (c. 1480 – c. 1556) was a Sicilian-born Ottoman eunuch and military officer who became the Beylerbey (governor) of Tripoli. He has been known by many names in sources, including Murād Agha, Murad Ağa, and Mortaga in Italian writings.

Early life
- Murad was born around 1480 in Ragusa (Ragusa, Sicily). As a boy, he was captured by Turkish pirates, enslaved, and taken to Constantinople. There he was sold into the sultan’s harem, given the name Murad, castrated, and became a slave of the sultan’s favorite. He later converted from Christianity to Islam.

Military career and rise
- He rose through the ranks as a Barbary corsair and an officer in the Ottoman Navy, earning the title Agha for his bravery.
- In 1538, Hayreddin Barbarossa sent him to Tajura (near Tripoli) to organize local resistance against the Knights Hospitaller, who then ruled the nearby city of Tripoli.
- By the mid-1540s, Murad controlled Tajura and fought regularly with Hospitaller forces. He helped coordinate Ottoman efforts to expand Ottoman influence in North Africa.

Siege of Tripoli and governorship
- In 1551, a large Ottoman force led by Sinan Pasha, with Dragut and the governor of Algiers, Salah Rais, landed in Tripolitania. Murad’s Tajura troops joined the Ottomans in the siege of Tripoli.
- The city surrendered on 14 August 1551. After the victory, Sinan Pasha appointed Murad as Beylerbey of Tripoli, making him the Ottoman governor of the region.
- Murad consolidated Ottoman control, improved Tripoli’s fortifications, and helped revive the city’s economy. In 1552, he repelled a Hospitaller raid on Zuwarah.

End of his governorship and later life
- Murad’s term as governor was short. In 1553–1554, Dragut was appointed beylerbey in his place. Murad remained influential in Tajura, where he built the Murad Agha Mosque.
- The exact date of Murad’s death is not known, but it is believed to be around 1556. He was buried in a tomb beside the mosque he built; this tomb was later destroyed in 2013.

Legacy
- Murad Agha is remembered for establishing Ottoman control over Tripolitania, strengthening Tripoli’s defenses, and helping to revive its economy after the siege.
- His mosque in Tajura, the Murad Agha Mosque, stands as a lasting part of his legacy.