Gevherhan Sultan was perhaps the eldest daughter of Sultan Ahmed I. However, her mother’s identity remains uncertain. For a time, she was thought to be the daughter of Kösem Sultan, but this theory now seems highly unlikely. Some sources instead name Mahfiruze as her mother. It is also possible that Gevherhan was born in 1605, between the births of Princes Osman and Mehmed. If this is the case, then neither Kösem nor Mahfiruze could have been her mother.
A 1615 report by the Venetian ambassador C. Valier stated that the wife of Öküz Mehmed Pasha (Gevherhan’s first husband) shared a mother with the eldest prince, Osman. Additionally, a report from 1627 refers to Gevherhan’s second husband, Topal Recep Pasha, and mentions that he had been appointed by Osman II and that his wife was Osman’s elder sister.
The most plausible theory is that Gevherhan was born in 1605 to an unknown concubine. Sultan Ahmed I was fond of his great-aunt, Gevherhan Sultan (daughter of Selim II), so naming his first daughter after her would make sense.
Alternatively, she could have been born AFTER Osman to Mahfiruze . However, it is unlikely she was born before Osman by Mahfiruze, as Ahmed I only ascended the throne in late December 1603. He was circumcised shortly thereafter, and only then began to receive concubines.
Gevherhan’s first marriage took place in 1612, when she was wed to Öküz Mehmed Pasha. The groom, then 55 years old, reportedly waited until Gevherhan reached puberty to consummate the marriage. They had one son, who died in infancy. Öküz Mehmed Pasha served as Grand Vizier from 1614 to 1616 during Ahmed I’s reign, and again briefly in 1619 under Osman II. After his final dismissal, he died in Aleppo around 1620.
In 1622, during the reign of Osman II, Gevherhan married Topal Recep Pasha. He served as Grand Vizier under Murad IV in 1632, but was executed later that same year. With Recep Pasha, Gevherhan had a daughter named Safiye.
Nothing else is known about Gevherhan Sultan. Her date of death is not recorded, but she was buried in the tomb of her father, Sultan Ahmed I.
