Ahmet Vefik Paşa

Ahmet Vefik Paşa

July 03, 1823 – April 02, 1891
Place of Birth: Constantinople, Ottoman Empire
Place of Death: Constantinople, Ottoman Empire

Ahmed Vefik Pasha (3 July 1823, Constantinople2 April 1891, Constantinople), was an Ottoman statesman, diplomat, scholar, playwright, and translator during the Tanzimat and First Constitutional periods. He was commissioned with top-rank governmental duties, including presiding over the first Ottoman Parliament in 1877. He also served as Grand Vizier for two brief periods. Vefik also established the first Ottoman theatre and initiated the first Western style theatre plays in Bursa and translated Molière's major works. His portrait was depicted on a former Turkish postcard stamp.