The Last Pasha of the Buda Castle

The Hungarian Kingdom battled the Ottoman Empire for many years to prevent occupation. During King Matthias's reign, thanks to his great political sense and the founded "Black Army" of mercenaries, he kept the Ottomans away for a while. Not long after his death, in 1541, Buda was taken by a trick, and a long 145-year occupation began. The Kingdom was divided into three parts: the central region under Ottoman control, surrounded by Habsburg territory and Transylvania, which was loyal to the Sultan.

Buda—the Golden Apple, as the Ottomans called the Castle—became Budin, the Matthias Church was transformed into a mosque, and from its tower, the muezzin called Muslims to prayer. 

In 1686, after several failed attacks, the Christian "Holy League"—70,000 soldiers led by the Austrian Habsburgs—arrived to reclaim the city. Abdurrahman Abdi Arnaut Pasha, the 70-year-old Ottoman commander, was an experienced general who knew his 15,000 soldiers stood no chance against such forces. The elderly Pasha declared that if he couldn't protect his entrusted castle, he would die defending it. He had no choice—failure meant the Sultan would send him a "silk cord," requiring his suicide. 

True to his word, he fought on the front lines and is remembered with respect on his tomb: "He was a heroic opponent, peace be upon him!"

His memorial tomb rests in a quiet bastion of Buda Castle, near where he reportedly fell in battle.

The beautiful Renaissance Castle lost its shine during the long occupation, suffering repeated damage from fires and gunpowder explosions. The final "liberation" siege completely destroyed what remained. In the aftermath, the former Ottoman territories came under Habsburg control.