EGYPT 



2825 



little change in the administration 

 of the country. The apathy of its 

 Turkish rulers led to a long period 

 of unrest, which culminated in 

 1609 in a mutiny among the Tur- 

 kish army of occupation. The re- 

 bellion, however, was curbed in 

 Feb., 1610, by the governor, 

 Mahomed Pasha. Risings among 

 the Egyptians and the Turkish 

 soldiers, plagues, pestilence, and 

 famine mark subsequent years. 

 Disease in the spring of 1619 car- 

 ried off 635,000 persons, and simi- 

 lar ravages in 1643 completely 

 wiped out 230 villages. 



This rather doleful and some- 

 what obscure period of Egyptian 

 history offered little opportunity 

 for a great man, although in the 

 next century Ali Bey appears to 

 have succeeded in introducing a 

 measure of order and reform. By 

 stern methods he suppressed the 

 notorious outlawry of the Beduin 

 in Lower Egypt. In 1768 Ali de- 

 clared the independence of Egypt, 

 and was afterwards given the title 

 of sultan. Turkey, however, de- 

 feated Ali in 1773, and much the 

 same dismal state of things that 

 existed during the previous Tur- 

 kish occupation was re-established. 

 A new epoch, however, opetied 

 with the short-lived conquest of 

 Egypt by Napoleon. Insurrection 

 broke out and after war with Tur- 

 key, in which the British inter- 

 vened by landing a force in 1801, 

 Napoleon evacuated the country. 

 Turkey now concentrated her at- 

 tention against the Mamelukes, 

 and by treachery and massacre 

 overcame this troublesome but 

 brave band. The chief personage 

 of this, the darkest period of 

 Egyptian history, was Mehemet 

 Ali, who in so far as massacres 

 were concerned showed no disposi- 

 tion to depart from the rule of his 

 predecessors, but nevertheless pro- 

 moted several sound projects. 

 European Intervention 



The financial chaos which char- 

 acterised Egypt during this period 

 reached a climax in 1876, when the 

 khedive suspended payment of his 

 treasury bills. The debt of Egypt 

 was now 91,000,000. Corruption 

 and maladministration generally 

 were rife, and ultimately France, 

 Italy, and Austria each nominated 

 representatives on the commission 

 of public debt which had been 

 promulgated by khedival decree. 

 Great Britain was unwilling to in- 

 terfere, although she was invited 

 by the khedive to nominate a 

 British Commissioner, and even- 

 tually this position was offered to 

 Lord Cromer, then Sir Evelyn 

 Baring. Financial affairs after this 

 European intervention improved. 

 But a political storm was brewing. 



Egypt. The Sheikh-el-Beled. 

 Wooden figure from Boulak 



By courtesy of Chapman & Hall, HA. 



In 1879 Nubar Pasha, minister 

 of public works, and Sir C. Rivers 

 Wilson, the minister of finance, 

 were assaulted by a crowd of 

 Egyptian officers. Ahmed Arabi, 

 an Egyptian of humble origin who 

 had risen to be colonel of the 4th 

 regiment, led a successful revolt of 

 the army, and compelled the 

 khedive to change his ministers. 

 The country at this time had come 

 virtually under the direction of 





Arabi's party, and disturbances 

 rendered foreign intervention ne- 

 cessary. Arabi's challenge by rais- 

 ing batteries at Alexandria with 

 the intention of using them against 

 the British fleet was followed by 

 the bombardment of these bat- 

 teries by the British. At Tel-el- 

 Kebir Arabi's army was defeated 

 and eventually surrendered. Even 

 now the British government de- 

 clined to remain in Egypt ; its de- 

 clared object was to establish order 

 and stability. 



Trouble in the Sudan 



One of the difficulties of the 

 British reformers was the trouble 

 in the Sudan. In 1883 the Egyp- 

 tian army, under the command of 

 General Hicks, which had been 

 sent by the British Government to 

 restore order in the more distant 

 regions of the Sudan, was annihi- 

 lated in Kordofan. The British 

 government, reluctant to asso- 

 ciate itself with any military en- 

 terprise in that direction, decided 

 to abandon the Sudan and with- 

 draw all the garrisons. In the 

 meantime, however, Mahomed 

 Ahmed, a religious fanatic known 

 as the Mahdi, had risen to power. 

 General Gordon, who was sent to 

 report on the military situation 

 and on the means necessary in 

 order to accomplish the evacua- 

 tion, arrived at Khartum and was 

 killed by the Mahdi's troops in 

 1885. A relief expedition was 

 sent but arrived too late. Sir 

 Herbert Kitchener, sirdar of the 

 Egyptian army, recaptured Khar- 

 tum on Sept. 2, 1898. 



The more settled state in the 

 Sudan helped directly in the pro- 

 gress of Egypt, and a variety of 

 reforms were instituted ; harsh 



;ypt. Ancient sculptured figures of pyramid times from the Boulak 



useum. Left, Ra-Hotep, an Egyptian prince : right, the princess Nofn, 



or Nefert, limestone figure 



By courtesy of Chapman & Hall, Ltd. 



