Who was Muhammad Ali Pasha?
Q: Who was Muhammad Ali Pasha?
A: Muhammad Ali Pasha was an Ottoman commander in the Ottoman army who became Wāli, and self-declared Khedive of Egypt and Sudan. He is considered the founder of modern Egypt due to the dramatic reforms he made to its army, economy, and culture.
Q: Where was Muhammad Ali Pasha born?
A: Muhammad Ali Pasha was born in Kavala, a city in what is now the Greek province of Macedonia. His ancestors migrated from a village of İliç in Eastern Turkey.
Q: What caused a power vacuum in Egypt at this time?
A: The French Capitulation of Alexandria left a power vacuum in the Ottoman province as Mamluk power had been weakened but not destroyed. This created an opportunity for Muhammad Ali to gain power and prestige for himself by playing both sides during this period of anarchy.
Q: How did Muhammad Ali become Wāli?
A: A group of prominent Egyptians demanded that Ahmad Khurshid Pasha step down and that Muhammad Ali be installed as the new Wāli in 1805.
Q: How did he deal with opposition from Mamluks?
A: In 1811, he massacred their leaders and sent troops to chase their followers out of Egypt.
Q: Was it true that Muhammed Ali was Albanian?
A: No, it is not true that Muhammed Ali was Albanian although he led a group of Albanian troops sent to Egypt who were part of an Ottoman force reoccupying Egypt after Napoleon's French troops left.
Q: What happened after 1952 regarding his dynasty ruling over Egypt and Sudan?
A: After 1952, his dynasty no longer ruled over Egypt or Sudan due to the Egyptian Revolution which took place at this time.
