Ahmad Pasha was the son of
Ridwan ibn Mustafa Pasha, who founded the
Ridwan dynasty, which governed southern
Palestine for nearly two centuries. Ahmad acquired the governorship of Gaza Sanjak in 1585, following the death of Ridwan Pasha in
Anatolia. Ahmad chose
Gaza to be the center of the Ridwan dynasty. He continued his relatively autonomous rule of the district—which at times included
Jerusalem and
Nablus in central Palestine—until 1605. During this period, he was also given the prestigious role of
amir al-hajj by the Ottoman state. The Arabic biographer
Muhammad al-Muhibbi described Ahmad Pasha as a "courageous" and "brilliant" man with a great understanding of history and science. Poets of the time wrote songs praising his knowledge. During his rule as Gaza's governor, the city became a regional cultural center. Its religious significance was boosted by Ahmad Pasha's scholarly pursuits in
Islamic theology and by the influence of his close friend and adviser
Khayr al-Din al-Ramli, an important
Islamic jurist in the region who he befriended in 1603. ==Governor of Damascus==