Ottoman Era In 1517, Egypt became a province of the
Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans appointed a regional governor in Cairo, with the title of
"beylerbey". They also created the title of
"kaymakam", which denoted an acting governor who ruled over Egypt between the departure of the previous
beylerbey and the arrival of the next one. The Ottoman government in Egypt came to rely on Albanians to staff their government, and Albanians soon made up much of the military and special
bashi-bazouk units. Several Albanians even rose to the office of governor, the most famous of which were Dukakinzade Mehmed Pasha,
Koca Sinan Pasha, During and after the
French campaign in Egypt and Syria, the Ottoman Empire employed many Albanian personnel in defence of their province. Several of them were
Tahir Pasha Pojani with his brothers Hasan Pasha, Dalip, Isuf, and Abdul Bey,
Omer Pasha Vrioni, Muharrem Bey Vrioni, Rustem Aga Shkodrani and so on. Sarechesme Halil Agha, commanding the
Kavala Volunteer Contingent, would bring along his cousin, Muhammad (Mehmed) Ali, a young second rank commander.
Muhammad Ali Era chief'', by
Jean-Léon Gérôme, 1857. Muhammad Ali was an Albanian commander in the
Ottoman army (His father, Ibrahim Agha, was from
Korçë, Albania, who had moved to
Kavala) who was supposed to drive
Napoleon's forces out of Egypt. Upon France's withdrawal however, Muhammad Ali
seized power himself and forced the Ottoman Sultan
Mahmud II to recognize him as
Wāli, or Governor of Egypt in 1805. Demonstrating his grander ambitions, he took the title of
Khedive; however, this was not sanctioned by the
Sublime Porte. Muhammad Ali transformed Egypt into a regional power. He saw Egypt as the natural successor to the decaying Ottoman Empire, and subsequently constructed a military state with 4% of the populace serving in the army, which put Egypt on equal footing with the Ottoman Empire. His transformation of Egypt would be echoed by the later strategies used by the Soviet Union to establish itself as a modern industrial power. Muhammad Ali summed up his vision for Egypt in this way: At the height of his power, Muhammad Ali and his son
Ibrahim Pasha's military strength did indeed threaten the very existence of the
Ottoman Empire as he sought to replace the Ottoman Empire with his own. Ultimately, the intervention of the
Great Powers prevented Egyptian forces from marching on
Constantinople, and henceforth, his dynasty's rule would be limited to
Africa, and the
Sinai Peninsula. Muhammad Ali had conquered
Sudan in the first half of his reign and Egyptian control would be consolidated and expanded under his successors, most notably Ibrahim Pasha's son
Isma'il I. The island of
Thasos – which was given in 1813 by the Sultan
Mahmud II to the Ottoman Albanian ruler Muhammad Ali as a personal fiefdom – had functioned as the chief centre of recruitment for Albanians who entered the
Egyptian civil service. The island maintained this function until 1912, when it was annexed by Greece during the
First Balkan War.
Khedivate and British occupation Though Muhammad Ali and his descendants used the title of
Khedive in preference to the lesser
Wāli, this was not recognized by the Porte until 1867 when
Sultan Abdulaziz officially sanctioned its use by
Isma'il Pasha and his successors. In contrast to his grandfather's policy of war against the Porte, Isma'il sought to strengthen the position of Egypt and Sudan and his dynasty using less confrontational means, and through a mixture of flattery and bribery, Isma'il secured official Ottoman recognition of Egypt and Sudan's virtual independence. This freedom was severely undermined in 1879 when the Sultan colluded with the Great Powers to depose Isma'il in favor of his son
Tewfik. Three years later, Egypt and Sudan's freedom became little more than symbolic when the
United Kingdom invaded and occupied the country, ostensibly to support Khedive Tewfik against his opponents in
Ahmed Orabi's nationalist government. While the Khedive would continue to rule over Egypt and Sudan in name, in reality, ultimate power resided with the British High Commissioner. In defiance of the Egyptians, the British proclaimed Sudan to be an
Anglo-Egyptian Condominium, a territory under joint British and Egyptian rule rather than an integral part of Egypt. This was continually rejected by
Egyptians, both in government and in the public at large, who insisted on the "unity of the Nile Valley", and would remain an issue of controversy and enmity between Egypt and Britain until Sudan's independence in 1956.
Sultanate and Kingdom In 1914, Khedive
Abbas II sided with the Ottoman Empire which had joined the
Central Powers in the
World War I, and was promptly deposed by the British in favor of his uncle
Hussein Kamel. The legal fiction of Ottoman sovereignty over Egypt and Sudan, which had for all intents and purposes ended in 1805, was officially terminated, Hussein Kamel was declared
Sultan of Egypt and Sudan, and the country became a British Protectorate. With nationalist sentiment rising, as evidenced by the
revolution of 1919, Britain
formally recognized Egyptian independence in 1922, and Hussein Kamel's successor,
Sultan Fuad I, substituted the title of King for Sultan. However, British occupation and interference in Egyptian and Sudanese affairs persisted. Of particular concern to Egypt was Britain's continual efforts to divest Egypt of all control in Sudan. To both the King and the nationalist movement, this was intolerable, and the Egyptian Government made a point of stressing that Fuad and his son
King Farouk I were "King of Egypt
and Sudan".
Dissolution The reign of Farouk was characterized by ever increasing nationalist discontent over the British occupation, royal corruption and incompetence, and the disastrous
1948 Arab–Israeli War. All these factors served to terminally undermine Farouk's position and paved the way for the revolution of 1952. Farouk was forced to abdicate in favor of his infant son Ahmed-Fuad who became
King Fuad II, while administration of the country passed to the
Free Officers Movement under
Muhammad Naguib and
Gamal Abdel Nasser. The infant king's reign lasted less than a year and on June 18, 1953, the revolutionaries abolished the monarchy and declared Egypt a
republic, ending a century and a half of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty's rule. Emerging victorious from a war-triangle (Ottomans,
Mamluks, and his loyal troops), Mehmed Ali made good use of Albanian irregulars services as mercenaries and troops to bolster his reign. Albanian mercenaries, or
Arnauts, presented the backbone of Ali's army and were known as elite and disciplined soldiers of the
Ottoman Empire armies. With the rise of Muhammad Ali in power, many of them would settle in Egypt and serve there. By 1815, the number of Albanian military was over 7000. The number of Albanian troops would diminish in 1823, when
Ibrahim Pasha, Ali's son, would join the Ottoman armies in the
Greek War of Independence along with circa 17,000 men, many of them Albanians. Ali's dynasty would continue to rule Egypt until 1952.
Albanian National Awakening and early 20th century Muhammad Ali dynasty continued throughout the 19th century, and indeed into the first three decades of the 20th century. By that time Egypt experienced a massive economic development and prosperity, French and British investments (i.e. the
Suez Canal), modernization, and opportunity for
entrepreneurship. The economical prosperity attracted many
traders from the Albanian lands, mainly from
Korçë and
Kolonjë regions. With some exceptions, most of the figures were educated members of the
Orthodox community from south Albania who stationed in the vicinity of the Greek communities. Some of them published articles in the Greek community newspapers as well, frequently polemizing regarding Albanian identity. The Albanian community in Egypt, with their patriotic societies and publishing activities, played an important role in the Albanian national awakening at the end of the 19th century. Many newspapers and collections would come out, including the successful
Shkopi ("The stick"),
Rrufeja ("The lightning"),
Belietta Sskiypetare ("The Albanian Bee") and so on. and the weekly
Bisedimet (The discussions) of 1925–26 with 60 issues in total, which would be the last Albanian-language newspaper in Egypt. Prominent Albanian organizations were: "Vëllazëria Shqiptare" (Albanian Fraternity) founded on 1 My 1894 in
Beni-Suef, and "Bashkimi" (The union) which was found everywhere in Albanian populated areas and diaspora. It was an Albanian high official in Egypt, who sponsored the
Giuseppe Verdi's opera
Aida in
Khedivial Opera House in 1871. In 1907, with the initiative of Mihal Turtulli, Jani Vruho, and Thanas Tashko, the Albanian community send a promemorium to the
Second Hague Conference for Peace, demanding support for the civic rights of the Albanian population under the oppression of
Abdul Hamid II. Thanas Tashko would represent the community in the
Congress of Manastir of 1908, the famed "Magauri tekke" on the outskirts of Cairo, which was headed by Baba Ahmet Sirri Glina of
Përmet. The tekke would be visited frequently by
King Faruk.
Prince Kamal el Dine Hussein, Princess Zeynepe, daughter of
Isma'il Pasha, Princess Myzejen Zogolli, sister of King Zog I were some of the notables who were buried there. With the rise in power of
Anwar Sadat, the stance toward Albanians changed, but just a few from the exiled families returned to Egypt. ==Famous Albanians of Egypt==