The Sudanese king Nimr pretends to obey "Ismail Pasha," the youngest son of "Muhammad Ali," and perfectly acts out his wish to ingratiate himself with the man, asking him to allow them to honour him..
"Ismail Pasha" agrees.. and "Nimr" goes off about his business.. to prepare a lavish banquet.. and ready a grand lodging for the pasha to rest in with his men.
And in the presence of "King Nimr" — whose full name is "Nimr bin Muhammad walad Nimr al-Ja'ali al-Sa'adabi," for anyone who likes to look him up — was another Sudanese king, "King Musaid,".. the leader of the Bishariyin.. and he was an ally of King "Nimr."
They do indeed prepare a house for Ismail Pasha, on the other bank of the river.. furnished with every means of primitive comfort available.. and while the house is being readied, he begins to arrange an abundant banquet, containing everything the pasha and his exhausted soldiers could crave, from roasted gazelle meat and fresh river fish to aged wine.
Everyone eats the food.. and "King Nimr" and King "Musaid" themselves share it with them, their hands reaching for every dish and plate.. which made anyone rule out the suspicion that the food was poisoned or anything of the sort.. and during the meal.. "Nimr" and "Musaid" set about drawing up the conspiracy and laying out the idea of their plan.. and discussed it openly in front of the pasha.. without him or his guard understanding a single letter of it.. because the talk was in the Bishariyin language itself...
The food ends and the banquet is cleared away.. and afterwards the slaves and concubines of "King Nimr" arrive, and they begin to dance to entertaining music for Ismail Pasha... for the purpose of entertaining him.
Primitive music.. based essentially on drums and percussion instruments...
But despite that, it was enchanting and calm.
The taut, exhausted nerves relax with it like bowstrings.. and with the music the cups of strong local Sudanese wine circulate.. and the head of the pasha and his men grow heavy.. and he gets up and announces that he is going to rest.
And when things settle for Ismail in his lodging, dozens of "King Nimr's" men slip in.. and surround the house with sticks of wood, dry reeds, and dead tree branches.
And while "Ismail's" soldiers are sleeping, exhausted, on the banks of the Nile, the forces of "King Musaid" swoop down on them under cover of darkness, on the orders of the latter, and set about slaughtering and spearing them.. and at the same time.. "Nimr" had decided to punish "Ismail" with a unique penalty...
Death by burning.
And "Nimr's" men began setting fire to the wood, the papers, and the dry reed sticks with which they had surrounded "Ismail's" house.
And Ismail wakes to the sound of gunfire, the smell of smoke, the heat of the flames, and the crackling of the firewood...
Betrayed by a man who had been trusted with his own safety, whose food he had eaten and who had hosted him in the very heart of his home.. in a manner that any morals, and any religion, would be ashamed of.
The wine flies from his head and the heads of his men.. and they rush towards the doors and windows in the hope of escaping.. but "Nimr" had perfected his plan.. so everyone is surprised by the arrows of the Sudanese flying towards them.. and they are forced to hide inside the house once more in search of an alternative solution.
But unfortunately time was not on their side.. and as the flames rose there was no longer even hope of escaping from the door or the windows.. so Ismail's personal guard huddle around him and over him.. to protect him from the fire.. and indeed.. the fire devours them while he is spared, and he dies suffocated by the smoke and lack of air.
As for the accompanying Egyptian force that had camped on the edge of the river.. and was taken by surprise by the night attack of "Nimr's" men.. it engages them in fierce fighting.. they realise that it is not in their favour.. given the element of surprise.. so most of them withdraw and join the forces of "Muhammad Ali's" brother-in-law.. "Muhammad Bey al-Daftardar."
And "Ismail" was a personal friend of al-Daftardar.. in fact he had been the intermediary in his marriage to his sister and his inclusion in "Muhammad Ali's" family after a fierce love story.. so when the news of Ismail's assassination reaches him.. he goes out of his mind.. and sets off with his forces eastward from Kordofan to Sennar.. and there he meets King Nimr, his sons, and his men.
Before the angry, crushing blows of "al-Daftardar," the Sudanese withdraw.. and the sons of King "Nimr" send him a request to negotiate.. and indeed "al-Daftardar" meets King "Nimr" and his sons.. who ask him for pardon.. so he asks them for time to refer the matter to "Muhammad Ali".. as the avenger of blood.
But while he was returning.. "King Musaid" wanted to double-cross him.. so he sent some of his men to assassinate "al-Daftardar".. who survived the attempt miraculously and was defended by his Egyptian guard.. so he returned seething with rage.. and had taken his decision without referring back to Cairo...
The vengeance had to be completed.
And "al-Daftardar" heads with his men.. to "Nimr" and "Musaid," and the combined forces of "Nimr" and "Musaid" meet the Egyptian army, and are defeated wholesale, humiliated, crushed, and withdraw.. and at the same time; "King Jauwish al-Saghir" joins al-Daftardar.. and he was the last king of the kings of the Sudanese Shayqiyya tribe.. he declares allegiance to al-Daftardar.. and fights on his side.. given the famous enmity between him and "Nimr" and "Musaid."
And with "Jauwish's" knowledge of the region.. al-Daftardar sets off on a series of crushing victories.. and finishes off entirely the force of "Nimr" and "Musaid," which numbered more than thirty thousand soldiers.. and "Nimr" flees with his personal guard to Abyssinia.
But "al-Daftardar" was determined to carry out his revenge to the end.. so he sends "Jauwish" after "Nimr".. and sets off himself to suppress the Sudanese revolts in every part of the country.. until he had complete control over it.
And at the borders of Abyssinia.. "Jauwish" catches up with King "Nimr" and his guards.. and finishes them off entirely.. and nearly kills King "Nimr" with his own hands.. had the latter not pleaded with him and humbled himself, and spoken to him of blood ties, homeland, and land.
And "Jauwish" was indeed a righteous man.. so he pardons "Nimr" and lets him continue his journey alone to Abyssinia.. and he does indeed reach it.. and remains a refugee there until his death in 1825.. and to this day there is a street named after "King Nimr" in the capital of northern Sudan.. Khartoum.
Sudan comes into the grip of "Muhammad Ali".. and here Europe begins to look at him with interest mixed with anxiety.. except for France.. which looks at him as the last chance to bring down the "Sick Man".. or the Ottoman Empire.. and hasten its end.. so it begins to support him.. and cooperate with him.
As for "Muhammad Ali's" wars against the Wahhabis.. that calls for us to go back in time a few years.. specifically to the year 1807.
And that journey through time will certainly be long.
So the discussion of it.. remains to come.
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Earlier posts:
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1 - http://bit.ly/30anGpF
2 - http://bit.ly/2Q7e6zv
3 - http://bit.ly/2VVkcrX
4 - http://bit.ly/2WdncAb
5 - http://bit.ly/2HzZSo7
6 - http://bit.ly/2MeJZHO
7 - http://bit.ly/30Y8tZo
8 - http://bit.ly/2K6yBMd
9 - http://bit.ly/2FczAXt