The matter was settled for "Ali Bey al-Kabir", and he relied on his right arm "Muhammad Bey Abu al-Dhahab".. and he began to organize an army.. a real army for the first time in a long while.. and he began to open foundries for metals and to cast weapons and artillery.. and he did this quickly because he already had trained men whom he used to train more soldiers.. and he began granting privileges to families that would present their sons to the army.. because there was no compulsory conscription at that time.
"Ali Bey al-Kabir" put all of Egypt under emergency measures.. and whoever opposed his decisions or discussed them, he would exile or imprison and confiscate his money.. "al-Jabarti" described him as being extremely harsh in this matter.. and "al-Kabir's" ministers who carried out these decisions for him were "Abu al-Dhahab", "Ahmad al-Jazzar".. and "Murad Bey" and "Ibrahim Bey".
And in the year 1770.. when Egypt had a strong regular army for the first time after Sultan al-Ashraf "Tuman Bay", "Ali Bey al-Kabir" halted the sending of Egypt's tribute to the Ottoman Empire.. and they were already two years behind on the tribute.. from the year 1768 AD.. because of the Ottoman Empire's wars with "Hammam" and "al-Kabir's" wars to win the position of Sheikh al-Balad.. but this time the matter came from "al-Kabir" by official decree.
The most dangerous decision was that "al-Kabir".. signed a decree preventing the arrival of Turkish governors to Cairo.. and it reached the Ottoman Sultan "Mustafa III".. who was at that time kneading the Russians and the Russians kneading him.. and he realized that "al-Kabir" had decided to become independent in ruling Egypt.. so he decided to postpone the confrontation for two or three months.. until the Russian danger subsided.. But "al-Kabir" kept working and never stopped.. and he seized the opportunity of a struggle between two men, from the sharifs of the Hejaz, namely "Ahmad bin Said", and he was supported by the Ottoman Empire.. and "Abdullah bin Hussein".. over the rule, so he sent "Muhammad Abu al-Dhahab" to intervene in favor of the latter.. and indeed "Abu al-Dhahab" succeeded and defeated the Ottoman garrison of the Hejaz.. and entered Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
And "Abdullah bin Hussein" became the sharif of the Hejaz.. and for the first time as well since the martyrdom of al-Ashraf "Tuman", the holy lands came out of the authority of the Ottoman Empire.. and supplication in the Haram was raised in the name of "Ali Bey al-Kabir" as "Servant of the Two Holy Mosques".
This was a catastrophe, because the title used to grant sanctity to the Ottoman Sultan.. and create awe for him in hearts.. and now the title was gone from him.. so the Ottoman Sultan "Mustafa" decided to attack al-Kabir and recover Egypt.. so he ordered the Ottoman forces in Syria to move to Cairo, and take control of it.. and arrest "Ali Bey al-Kabir".
And "Muhammad Abu al-Dhahab" had not yet returned with the army from the Hejaz.. but "al-Kabir" had taken the movement of the Ottomans into account and expected it.. so he had arranged his affairs with a man from the people of Palestine.. This man was very old but was a strong, honorable fighter until the last day of his life.. and his name was "Zahir bin Omar al-Zaydani".. whom we know by his famous title "Zahir al-Umar".
"Zahir al-Umar" had in his grip one of the most fortified cities in Syria.. the city whose walls defied "Napoleon Bonaparte" himself.. he was the ruler of "Acre".. and it was not the first time he had clashed with the Ottomans.. for in the year 1721.. the village of "al-Ba'na" could not pay its taxes to the Ottomans.. so they sent to it the Janissary forces, to spread corruption in the village and violate its women as a kind of punishment.. so the village sent an appeal to "Zahir al-Umar".. so he moved with his forces and confronted the Janissary soldiers and defeated them.. and took control of al-Ba'na.. and advanced until he also took control of the Galilee and northern Palestine.
So when the Ottoman forces moved from Syria.. "Zahir al-Umar" and his men met them.. and fought them and forced them to flee to Damascus.. and pursued them as far as there.. and entered after them into the middle of Damascus itself.. and camped there.
But Istanbul sent another army to Syria.. which joined the army of Syria.. and they organized their ranks.. and advanced once again against "Zahir al-Umar".. who this time could not confront the Ottoman forces.. and retreated.. he retreated until he fortified himself in "Acre".. and sent a distress message to "Ali Bey al-Kabir".. that he was unable to continue fighting.. and that the Ottomans were on their way to "Acre".. and that the city would likely fall into the hands of "Mustafa III".
At this time "Muhammad Abu al-Dhahab" had returned with the army.. so "al-Kabir" sent him immediately to "Zahir al-Umar".. at the head of an army of forty thousand soldiers.
And "Abu al-Dhahab" marched on Syria.. and reached Acre.. and joined his forces to the forces of "Zahir al-Umar".. and began to advance against the Ottomans.
And in the face of the crushing blows of "Muhammad Abu al-Dhahab".. the Ottomans retreated once again.. and "Abu al-Dhahab" took control of Gaza and Ramla.. and then reached Jerusalem.. and the Ottoman governor and the Ottoman garrison in it had fled before the arrival of the Egyptian forces.. so its notables came out to him and handed him its keys.. and welcomed him.. and acknowledged the rule of "Ali Bey al-Kabir" over Jerusalem.
"Ali Bey al-Kabir" here corresponded with Venice.. asking it to support him in his war against the Ottomans.. but mind you, there is a very important point.. the Ottoman Empire was very important to Europe.. by the same logic by which the existence of Afghanistan in its current form is important to America.. it fights it sometimes.. and makes peace with it sometimes.. but when the peoples of Europe grumble or the first signs of revolution appear, "be careful, the Ottomans will come and occupy you and you will pay the jizya".. that is why Europe fought the Ottomans but at the same time.. supported them against Russia and Egypt every time.
So when "al-Kabir" asked Venice to support him.. and to allow him to set up a military base on one of the islands near it.. Venice refused his request.. and informed the Ottoman Sultan.. who issued a firman at once.. considering "Ali Bey al-Kabir" an infidel, a rebel against the obedience of the commander of the faithful and the holder of authority... and he sent another army of 100 thousand soldiers.. which joined the army of Syria.. so the Ottoman army's strength became 150 thousand soldiers.
The Ottoman Empire moved its fleet, and the artillery ships anchored off the coasts of Syria.. to bombard the Egyptian forces as they passed.. and "Abu al-Dhahab" sent to his teacher "Ali Bey al-Kabir" asking him for opinion and counsel.. so "al-Kabir" asked "Zahir al-Umar" to retreat once again to Palestine and station himself there.. and ordered "Muhammad Abu al-Dhahab" to carry out a very simple trick.. that would strip the Ottoman artillery ships of their effectiveness completely.
And "Abu al-Dhahab" carried out the agreed trick.. so "Abu al-Dhahab" and the Egyptian forces set off along the coast.. very close to the Ottoman ships.. at a distance of less than one hundred meters.. and they walked in complete silence.. and the long-range Ottoman artillery, with its gun ports open above the ships, was unable to bombard them.. because it completely loses its effectiveness.. against targets this close.
And "Muhammad Abu al-Dhahab" took control of Tyre, Sidon and Jaffa.. and reached Damascus.. in which the Ottoman army was stationed.. if Damascus fell into "Abu al-Dhahab's" hands, Egypt would control all of Syria and liberate it from the grip of the Ottomans.
And on a hot day of the first days of June, the Ottoman army met the Egyptian forces led by "Muhammad Abu al-Dhahab", in a terrifying battle, in which the Ottoman army could not hold out, and was defeated in a humiliating defeat.. and withdrew to Anatolia.. and "Muhammad Abu al-Dhahab" entered Damascus on the second day of the month of Safar in the year 1185 AH; corresponding to 6 June of the year 1771 AD.
And the news reached Cairo, and Cairo was adorned with the most beautiful decoration.. and its people danced in delight.. and "al-Kabir" decided to look beyond Syria.
To Istanbul.. the capital of the Ottoman Empire.
And "Mustafa III" rushed to Europe asking for help, and only England and Holland helped him.. and they sent him weapons, soldiers and horsemen.. which he joined to the Ottoman army and they entered Aleppo.. and they met the exhausted army of "Abu al-Dhahab", in the same year.. and a colossal battle took place between the two armies.. in which "Muhammad Abu al-Dhahab" was victorious once again.. and he camped for the first time on the borders of "Antep".. in the year 1771.. and the road lay open before him to Anatolia.
And at this moment "al-Kabir" realized that the attack on Anatolia would not be easy.. and he was alarmed that the Ottoman Empire might send its fleet and bombard the Egyptian coastal cities with artillery.. so he sent a message to the commander of the Russian fleet, and the latter had moved his ships by order of the Empress "Catherine" to the Mediterranean, to see which side was victorious in this battle.. and to intervene at the appropriate time.. to achieve whatever gains were possible.
"Al-Kabir" offered Russia that he would conclude with it a treaty of alliance and friendship, in return for it supplying him with weapons and trained military men, and for the Russian fleet to be the protector of the Egyptian shores against any attacking attempts during this war.. and in return, "al-Kabir" would break the Ottoman Empire.. and Russia would recover its lands.. and take control of the whole of Ukraine.. so the commander of the Russian fleet received "Ali Bey al-Kabir's" message.. and replied to it with respect.. that he would raise his request for support to the Empress "Catherine".
Indeed "Catherine" agreed to the alliance.. but she sent "Ali Bey al-Kabir" 4 cannons.. and 400 soldiers armed with rifles! So he knew that he could not rely on the Russians.. and he ordered "Abu al-Dhahab" to advance to "Gaziantep".
But suddenly something strange and incomprehensible happened.
"Abu al-Dhahab" refused the order.. and turned his forces around.. and came back again through Syria.. and on the way.. he uprooted the Egyptian garrisons that he had placed, one after another.. and attacked "Zahir al-Umar's" fortresses and the strongholds he had built.. and demolished them and razed them to the ground.. and among them were the two fortified fortresses of "Deir Hanna" and "Deir Mar Elias"!
And for a moment "al-Kabir" did not understand exactly what was happening.. he had never imagined that "Abu al-Dhahab", his student and his right-hand man his whole life.. could sell him to the Ottomans and take the price.. but unfortunately that is what happened.
And "Zahir" al-Umar advanced with his men trying to repel "Abu al-Dhahab", but Abu al-Dhahab defeated "Zahir al-Umar's" forces and destroyed his army completely, and forced him to flee to the mountains near Acre.. and every region that "Abu al-Dhahab" passed through.. the Ottoman forces would enter it a few days after him.. taking it over easily and smoothly like an easy morsel.
And until the last moment "Ali Bey al-Kabir" did not want to believe what his student and friend "Abu al-Dhahab" was doing.. until "Abu al-Dhahab" reached Egypt.. and began to fight "Ali Bey al-Kabir" himself.. who was forced to withdraw and flee.. and he found no one to go to but Acre.. to his old friend "Zahir al-Umar".
And the Ottoman Sultan "Mustafa III" issued a decision.. appointing "Muhammad Abu al-Dhahab" Sheikh al-Balad in Egypt, and bestowing on him the title of "Pasha".
And in Acre "Ali Bey al-Kabir" began to gather himself and try to organize his forces.. and indeed there was a small army.. and he set out to attack "Abu al-Dhahab" despite the advice of "Zahir al-Umar", who advised him to wait until he grew stronger.. but "al-Kabir" insisted on the attack.. and the forces of "Zahir al-Umar", led by "Ali Bey al-Kabir", met the forces of "Muhammad Abu al-Dhahab" in Sharqia.. specifically in the area of Salihiya.. and "Muhammad Abu al-Dhahab" was victorious.. on 26 April of the year 1773.. and he captured "Ali Bey al-Kabir".. who had been gravely wounded in the battle.
It seems that the sight of his teacher wounded awakened some conscience in him.. so "Abu al-Dhahab" carried his lifelong friend and made a wing for him in the palace.. and gave him every possible medical care to save his life.. but "Ali Bey al-Kabir's" wounds were grave.. and he met his Lord after 12 days.. on 8 May of the year 1773.
And the Ottoman forces were left alone with "Zahir al-Umar".. and they entered into a continuous war and skirmishes.. in which victory was the ally of the Ottoman "Ahmad Pasha al-Jazzar".. and "Zahir al-Umar" was martyred at the hands of "al-Jazzar" on 21 August.. of the year 1775.. one year after the death of the Ottoman Sultan "Mustafa III".. and the emergence of "Abdul Hamid I" from the "Safavid cages".. and his assumption of the Ottoman state.
And in the reign of "Abdul Hamid I".. Russia recovered the Crimea from the Ottoman Empire.. and France advised him not to engage the Russians because they were well prepared for him.. and "Abdul Hamid" died in the year 1789.. after the Crimea was lost to him.. and "Selim III" came after him.
And in the reign of "Selim".. the "Treaty of Jassy" was signed between Russia and the Ottoman Empire.. under which Russia obtained the Crimea.. and the Ottoman Empire lost it forever.. officially.
And in the year 1799 AD.. France entered Egypt led by "Napoleon".. suddenly like that.. with forty thousand soldiers.. without a declaration of war on the Ottoman Empire or anything.. and "Napoleon" announced to the people that he was a friend of the Egyptian people.. and had come on behalf of the Ottoman Sultan.. to save them from the injustice of the evil governor!
And whoever controlled Egypt would control the global trade route to and from India.. so Russia and England moved at once.. and attacked the French in Egypt.. and England bombarded Napoleon's fleet and sank it at Abu Qir.. and suddenly the plague spread among "Bonaparte's" men.. so he decided to cancel the campaign.. and "Napoleon" corresponded with the Ottoman Sultan.. asking him that they return to being friends.. and "Selim" agreed.. and restored his relations with France.. and began bringing in military experts from it and buying weapons.
This campaign had no benefit except that it left in Egypt the scholars who came with it.. and they were about 124 scholars.. among them a man named "Jean-Francois Champollion".. who solved the riddle of the Rosetta Stone, and deciphered the mysteries of the ancient Egyptian language for the first time.. to bring ancient Egyptian history into the light.
In this period the Mamluks in Egypt split into two camps.. one camp on the side of the Ottomans led by "Ibrahim Bey" and one camp on the side of the English led by "al-Alfi Bey".. and the split turned into conflict.. and conspiracies and assassinations spread among the ranks of both sides, and more than one Ottoman governor fell victim to them.. and the situation became confused and the street tense.
But with the withdrawal of the French campaign, specifically in the year 1801.. several Ottoman ships anchored in the port of "Abu Qir" in Alexandria.. carrying Ottoman soldiers to support the new Ottoman governor, whom the street had not accepted at all.
And on one of these ships was a detachment of 300 soldiers.. coming from Albania.. in which a man came aboard this vessel by chance.. and led this detachment by chance.. when the original commander of the detachment decided to return as soon as they arrived in Egypt.. so he became the commander in his place.
And this man's name was "Muhammad Ali"...
"Muhammad Ali Pasha".. who would take long to talk about.. so we will continue our talk later...
And the talk has more to come.
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- Previous posts in the first comment.
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