Cinci Hoca (literally "hoca ofjinn") is theepithet ofKarabaşzade Hüseyin Efendi, a 17th-centuryOttomanspiritualist whose influence on the sultan caused many problems in the empire.
He was born inSafranbolu (in modern province ofKarabük,Turkey). According toJoseph von Hammer,[1] he was a descendant of Sadrettin Konevi, a 13th-century Sufi. But unlike his famous ancestor, he made a name as a witch doctor andvalide sultan (mother sultana)Kösem invited him to the palace to cure the unbalanced sultanIbrahim. In 1643, Sultan Ibrahim appointed Cinci as thekadi ofGalata and in 1644 as thekazasker ofAnatolia (Turkish:Anadolu kazaskeri)[2][3] an appointment which caused a great reaction among theulama.
Cinci used his increasing power to increase his wealth by accepting bribes. He was instrumental in executing the ablegrand vizierKemankeş Mustafa Pasha in 1644. Seeing the end of his predecessor, the new grand vizierSemiz Mehmed Pasha became a very ineffective statesman.[4]
When Ibrahim was dethroned in 1648 and replaced byMehmed IV, the new grand vizierSofu Mehmed Pasha faced the problem of bonus salaries (Turkish:culus bahşişi), the traditional salary paid to soldiers upon the enthronement of the new sultan. He confiscated Cinci's earnings and expelled Cinci toDamascus (now inSyria). But during his travel, Cinci fell ill inMihalcık (now Karacabey inBursa Province, Turkey). While staying in Mihalcık, he criticised the grand vizier and consequently he was executed.[1]