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Islamic Egypt
Ancient Egypt had been
conquered by the
Roman
empire before falling under the control of the
Islamic empire when its forces swept through in 639-640. For the next
century the region was governed directly by the
Umayyad caliphate, restoring a situation that had existed periodically between the
rise of the
Assyrian empire until the division of Alexander the Great's
Greek empire. Gradually, most Egyptians converted from Christianity to
Islam and learned to speak Arabic (the remaining Christians became known as
Copts), and a new capital was established in the north (modern Cairo). |
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Abbasid Governors of Egypt
AD 750 - 868
The
Abbasid usurpation of the caliphate saw the
Umayyads deposed except in
Spain.
The general, Saleh ibn Ali, captured Fustat for the Abbasids in 750 and he
handed control to the first governor soon afterwards. A new headquarters was
established at the northern edge of the capital, el Askar ('the soldiers'),
but this quickly merged with the expanding city itself. Details on the
governors other than their names seems to be
vary sparse. |
|
750 |
Saleh ibn Ali ibn Abdullah
|
Abbasid general who conquered Fustat from the
Umayyads. |
|
751 - 753 |
Abu Awn Abdul Malik ibn Yazid |
First
Abbasid governor of Egypt. |
|
753 - 755 |
Saleh ibn Ali ibn Abdullah |
Returned as governor. |
|
755 - 758 |
Abu Awn Abdul Malik ibn Yazid |
Second term of office. |
|
758 - 759 |
Moussa ibn Ka'b ibn Oyayna ibn Aisha |
|
|
759 |
Mohammed ibn al-Aha'th al-Khoza'i |
|
|
760 - 762 |
Hamid ibn Quahtaba |
|
|
762 - 772 |
Yazid ibn Hatim al-Mohalabi |
|
|
772 |
Mohammed ibn Abdul Rahman |
|
|
772 - 778 |
Moussa ibn Ollai ibn Rabah al-lakhmi |
|
|
778 - 779 |
Eissa ibn Loquman al-Gomahi |
|
|
779 |
Wadih, Mawla of Abu Ga'far |
|
|
779 |
Mansour ibn Yazid ibn Mansour al-Re'ini |
|
|
779 - 780 |
Yahya ibn Daoud al-horashi |
|
|
780 - 781 |
Salim ibn Sawada al-Tamimi |
|
|
781 - 784 |
Ibrahin ibn Saleh ibn Abdullah ibn Abbas |
|
|
784 - 785 |
Moussa ibn Mous'ab al-Khath'ami |
|
|
785 |
Asama ibn Amro al-Ma'fri |
|
|
785 |
Al-Fadl ibn Saleh ibn Ali al-Abbassi |
|
|
786 - 787 |
Ali ibn Salman al-Abbassi |
|
|
787 - 789 |
Moussa ibn Eissa ibn Moussa al-Abbassi |
|
|
789 - 790 |
Muslima ibn Yahia al-Bagli |
|
|
790 |
Mohammed ibn Zoheir al-Azdi |
|
|
790 - 791 |
Daoud ibn Yazid al-Mouhallabi |
|
|
791 - 792 |
Moussa ibn Eissa ibn Moussa al-Abbassi |
Second term of office. |
|
792 |
Ibrahim ibn Saleh ibn Abdullah al-Abbassi |
Second term of office. |
|
792 - 793 |
Abdullah ibn al-Mousayyeb ibn Zoheir |
|
|
793 - 794 |
Ishak ibn Soliman |
|
|
794 - 795 |
Harmatha ibn A'youn |
|
|
795 |
Abdullah ibn al-Mosayyeb al-Abbassi |
|
|
795 |
Abdullah ibn al-Mahdi al-Abbassi |
|
|
796 - 797 |
Moussa ibn Eissa ibn Moussa al-Abbassi |
|
|
796 - 797 |
Oubeidullah ibn al-Mahdi al-Abbassi |
|
|
797 - 798 |
Ismail ibn Saleh al-Abbassi |
|
|
798 |
Ismail ibn Eaissa al-Abbassi |
|
|
798 - 803 |
Al-Layth ibn al-Fadl |
|
|
803 - 805 |
Ahmed ibn Ismail ibn Ali ibn al-Abbassi |
|
|
805 - 806 |
Abdullah ibn Mohammed al-Abbassi |
|
|
806 - 808 |
Al-Hussein ibn Gamil |
|
|
808 |
Malik ibn Dalhem al-Kalbi |
|
809 - 827 |
This period is marked by instability within Egypt. |
|
809 |
Al-Hassan ibn al-Takhtakh |
|
|
810 - 811 |
Hatim ibn Harthama ibn A'youn |
|
|
811 - 812 |
Gaber ibn Asha'th al-Ta'i |
|
|
812 - 813 |
Abbad ibn Mohammed ibn Hayyan |
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|
813 - 814 |
Al-Mottab ibn Abdullal al-Khoza'I
|
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|
814 |
Al-Abbass ibn Moussa ibn al-Abbassi
|
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|
814 - 815 |
Al-Mottalib ibn Abdullah al-Khoza'i |
|
|
815 - 816 |
Al-Serri ibn al-Hakam
|
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|
816 - 817 |
Soliman ibn Ghalib ibn Gebril al-Bagli
|
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|
817 - 820 |
Al-Serri ibn al-Hakam |
Second term of office. |
|
820 - 822 |
Abu al-Nassr
|
Son. |
|
822 |
Obeidullah ibn al-Serri
|
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|
822 - 826 |
Khalid ibn Yazid ibn Mazid al-Shibany
|
|
|
826 - 827 |
Abdullah ibn Tahir ibn al-Hussein |
|
827 - 829 |
The position of governor is vacant for two years as the post and its
responsibilities becomes unworkable. |
|
829 |
Eissan ibn Yazid al-Gloudi
|
|
|
829 |
Omair ibn al-Walid
|
|
|
829 - 830 |
Eissa ibn Yazid al-Gloudi
|
Second term of office. |
|
830 - 831 |
Abd Waih ibn Gabla
|
|
831 |
The Turkic general, Afshin, puts down a joint Arabic-Coptic rebellion, and
the Arabic families lose power for good. |
|
831 - 832 |
Abdullah al Ma'mun
|
Abbasid
caliph. |
|
832 - 834 |
Quaidar Nassr ibn Abdullah
|
Son. |
|
834 |
Mozzaffar ibn Quaidar
|
Son. |
|
834 - 839 |
Moussa ibn Abi al-Abbass
|
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|
839 - 841 |
Malik ibn Quaidar
|
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|
841 - 843 |
Ali ibn Yahia al-Armani
|
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|
843 - 847 |
Eissa ibn al-Mansour
|
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|
848 - 849 |
Harthama ibn al-Nadr al-Gabali
|
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|
849 |
Hatim ibn Harthama ibn al-Nadr
|
|
|
849 - 850 |
Ali ibn Yahia al-Armani
|
|
|
850 |
Isshac ibn Yahia ibn Mo'az
|
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|
851 |
Khout Abdul Wahid ibn Yahia
|
|
|
852 - 856 |
Anbassa ibnn Isshac al-Dabbi
|
|
|
856 - 867 |
Yazid ibn Abdullah al-Tourki
|
Non-Abbasid
governor. |
|
867 - 868 |
Mozahim ibn Khaqan |
Non-Abbasid
governor. |
|
868 |
Ahmed ibn Mozahim ibn Khaqan |
Non-Abbasid
governor. |
|
868 |
Azgour al-Torki |
Non-Abbasid
governor. |
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Tulunid Dynasty
AD 868 - 905
During a period of uncertainty within the
Islamic empire, the
newly-assigned Tulunid governor of Egypt assumed independent control of the
country. Ahmad ibn-Tuluh, who was the first fully independent ruler of Egypt
in over eight hundred years, built one of the oldest monuments in Cairo: the
ibn Tulun Mosque.
Despite their independence, the Tulunids never openly proclaimed their
removal of Egypt from the caliphate. Eventually, the dynasty fell victim to the brief revival of
Abbasid power at the beginning of the tenth century. |
868 - 884 |
Ahmed
ibn-Tuluh
/ Ahmad ibn Tulun |
Established himself as an independent governor of Egypt. |
877 - 878 |
Abbasid troops are sent against Ahmed because he has failed to send
enough tribute to Baghdad. Defeating them, the following year he invades and
captures Palestine and Syria.
 |
|
The tomb of Ahmed ibn-Tuluh in Cairo
|
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|
884 - 896 |
Khumarawayh |
Son. |
890 |
Benefiting from a well-trained army, a stable
economy, and an efficient bureaucracy, Khumarawayh is able to achieve
further military gains, including the capture of areas of northern Iraq.
Unfortunately, his military efforts weaken that stable economy for future
rulers. |
896 |
After Khumarawayh's
death, the emirs who succeed him are weak and ineffective, allowing their
slave-soldiers to take control of the day-to-day running of the emirate. |
896 |
Jaysh / Abu l-Ashir |
Son. Deposed by the military commanders. |
896 - 904 |
Harun |
Brother. Assassinated. |
904 - 905 |
Shayban |
|
905 - 935 |
Following an invasion of Egypt, the Abbasids
regain direct control of the country on 10 January 905. |
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Abbasid Governors of Egypt
AD 905 - 935
The
Abbasid caliph
regained direct control of Egypt with a successful invasion of the weakened
Tulunid emirate on 10 January 905.
They placed governors in the capital to maintain day-to-day control of the
country. Again, as with the previous period of Abbasid
Governors, details on them seems to be
vary sparse. |
|
905 - 910 |
Eissa al-Noushari |
First restored
Abbasid governor (wali). |
|
910 - 915 |
Abu Mansour Tekin |
|
|
915 - 919 |
Zaka Al-A'war |
Second term of office. |
|
920 - 921 |
Abu Mansour Tekin |
Second term of office. |
|
921 - 923 |
Hilal ibn Badr |
|
|
923 - 924 |
Ahmed ibn Keghlegh |
|
|
924 - 933 |
Abu al-Mansour Tekin |
|
933 - 935 |
Abbasid control of Egypt proves to be short-lived when the country falls under the control of the
Mameluke dynasty of Turkic
governors. |
|
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Mameluke Dynasty of Ikhshidite Amirs
AD 935 - 969
Mamelukes (or Mamluks) were originally Turkic soldiers who had been
captured in war and recruited into the armies of Islam. They became more
important over time simply because they became indispensable in maintaining
control. The Mameluke Ikhshidite (or Ikhshidid -
Persian for 'prince') emirs began the process of drifting out of
Abbasid
control again under the Turkic slave soldier, Muhammad ibn Tughj al
Ikhshid. At its greatest extent, the emirate included Palestine and
Syria, but then
it found itself trying to stop the triumphant
Fatimids,
ultimately unsuccessfully. |
935 - 946 |
Muhammad ibn Tughj al
Ikhshid |
Turkic Mameluke slave soldier and governor. |
944 |
Egypt loses control
of
Syria to the
Hamdanids of Aleppo. |
946 - 961 |
Unujur |
|
961 - 966 |
Ali |
|
966 - 968 |
Kafur al Labi /
Abu al-Misk Kafur |
Vizier and
effective ruler following the death of his master. |
968 - 969 |
Ahmad |
|
969 - 1171 |
In 1969, Egypt
is removed from
Abbasid
control and
ruled by the North African Fatamids
following their capture of Cairo. |
1169 |
The formal career of Salah al-Din Yusuf Ibn Ayyub (or
Saladin), begins when he serves on the staff of his uncle, Asad ad-Din
Shirkuh, an important military commander under Mahmud of Aleppo and
Damascus. They are involved in a race with the Crusader kingdom of
Jerusalem to conquer
Fatamid Egypt. On 2 January 1169, the Crusaders retreat from their siege
of the walls of Cairo and evacuate the region, allowing Shirkuh to take
control as vizier (prime minister) under the Fatamids, founding the
Ayyubid dynasty in Egypt (although not, at this stage, an independent
one). |
1169 |
Asad
ad-Din Shirkuh |
General and
vizier of Egypt for the
Fatamids. Died. |
1169 - 1171 |
Salah al-Din
Yusuf Ibn Ayyub (Saladin) |
General and
vizier of Egypt for the
Fatamids. |
1171 - 1174 |
The caliph dies, ending
Fatamid rule of Egypt and leaving the country in the control of Saladin,
under the suzerainty of Mahmud Nur ad-Din of
Damascus. The latter's death in 1174 allows Saladin to assert his full
control over Egypt, becoming the first
Ayyubid sultan. |
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Ayyubid Dynasty
AD 1174 - 1252
As the first Ayyubid sultan of Egypt, Saladin soon moved out of Egypt and
occupied
Damascus and other Syrian towns, although Egypt remained his base of
operations. Then he defeated and drove the Crusaders from
Jerusalem, and set up his sons and
relatives in several subsidiary lines within Ayyubid territory, in Damascus,
Aleppo, Hims, Hamat, Diyar Bakr, and
Yemen. Most of these were ended by 1260 by the Mamelukes
or fell to the Mamelukes after the
Mongol conquest. The line in Hamat was a little more
durable, only falling to the Mamelukes in 1332, and the line in Diyar Bakr, with some
interruptions, survived until conquest by the
White Sheep Turks in the later
fifteenth century.
Although originally ruling from Egypt, Saladdin spent the last years of his life fighting in
Syria and Palestine and was
buried in Damascus, next to the Umayyad
mosque. The Ayyubid family still survives in modern
Lebanon and retains Saladin's sword. |
1174 - 1193 |
Salah al-Din
Yusuf Ibn Ayyub (Saladin) |
Former
vizier and now sultan. Also ruled Damascus
(1183-1186). |
1171 |
The kingdom of Dongola enters a
sharp decline, due in part to increased Bedouin attacks after these tribespeople have been pushed south by the Ayyubids.
 |
|
Saladin set about building the famous citadel in Cairo soon
after taking power, though it would not be finished until after
his death in 1207
|
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|
1182 - 1183 |
Saladin leaves Egypt to fight the Crusaders in
Syria,
never to return to the seat of his authority. The following year he conquers
Damascus and Aleppo from
Sinjar. |
1186 |
Damascus is ruled by an Ayyubid relative as a subsidiary state. Saladin
takes
Mosul in the same year. |
1187 |
The
Crusader kingdom
of
Jerusalem is defeated by Saladin at the Battle of Hattin. Although the other captured nobles are
ransomed, all of the captured Knights Templars and Knights Hospitallers are executed.
Thousands of Christian prisoners are marched the four hundred miles back to
Cairo, where they are forced to work on extending the city's fortifications
and building the Citadel. Saladin then besieges Jerusalem itself, before coming to peace terms with
its defenders, and the city is evacuated by the crusader knights. |
1193 - 1198 |
al Aziz Uthman (Imad ad Din) |
Son. |
1198 - 1200 |
al Mansur (Nasir ad Din) |
|
1200 |
Al-Malik al-Adil I manages to acquire territory between
his sultanate in
Damascus
and in Mesopotamia, before he also overthrows al-Mansur and rules in Egypt
too. |
1200 - 1218 |
al Adil I (Sayf ad Din
/ Safadin) / Abu Bakr |
Brother of
Saladin. Ruler of Ayyubid
Damascus (1196-1201). |
1202 - 1204 |
The Fourth Crusade
witnesses the capture of
Constantinople by Crusaders in the employ of
Venice, causing the first break
in the line of
Eastern
Roman (Byzantine) emperors. |
1218 - 1238 |
al Kamil I (Nasir ad Din) |
Son. Ruler of Ayyubid
Damascus (1238). |
1220 |
The Ayyubids conquer
Sinjar. |
1229 |
The
Fifth Crusade sees
Jerusalem
ceded to the
Christians at
Acre. For allowing this to happen, al-Kamil is vilified by many Muslims,
but it brings peace with the Crusaders. |
1234 - 1240 |
Al-Kamil sends his son, the future as-Salih II, to rule
Damascus,
removing him from the succession in Egypt after suspecting him of conspiring
against him with the Mamelukes.
His uncle, as-Salih Ismail, soon expels him from Damascus, and he flees to
the
Jazira, where he becomes allied to forces from the former emirate of
Khwarazm. When his brother, al-Adil II, succeeds in 1238, as-Salih II
overthrows him. |
1238 - 1240 |
al Adil II (Sayf ad Din) |
Son. Ruler of Ayyubid
Damascus (1238-1239).
Overthrown. |
1240 - 1249 |
as Salih II (Najm ad Din) |
Brother. Ruler of Ayyubid
Damascus (1239,
1245-1249). Murdered. |
1244 |
Jerusalem
is re-conquered by the Ayyubids. |
1249 - 1250 |
al Muazzam (Turan-Shah Ghiyat ad Din) |
Son. Ruler of Ayyubid
Damascus (1249-1250). |
1250 |
Shajar ad Durr |
Widow of Najm ad Din.
Seized the throne. |
1250 - 1252 |
al Ashraf II (Muzaffar ad Din) |
Nominally until 1254. |
1250 - 1252 |
In 1250, Shajar ad Durr seizes the sultanate with the support of her Mameluke
slave-soldiers, led by Aybak. Eighty days later, she marries Aybak in order
to secure the full support of her subjects, before abdicating in her
husband's favour, passing all control of the sultanate over to him. Al-Ashraf II serves as a figurehead for a short time,
and the
Abbasids
still hold the title of caliph and hold court at
Cairo, but they are weak and are soon to become puppets of the Mamelukes.
The Ayyubids survive in
Damascus,
but only briefly. |
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Mameluke Sultans of Egypt (Bahri Dynasty)
AD 1252 - 1390
The sultanate of Egypt was effectively seized from the
Ayyubids by the
Mameluke slave-soldier Aybak. His marriage to Shajar ad Durr and her
subsequent abdication gave him sole control over Egypt. The Abbasids still held the
title of caliph and held court at Cairo, but were puppets of the Mamelukes, who were
descended from Turkish tribes which invaded the Middle East in two major waves in the
eleventh and twelfth centuries. |
1250 - 1257 |
Aybak al Turkumani |
First of the
(usually) Turkish Bahris. Assassinated. |
1254 |
Al Ashraf II, the last of the
Ayyubid sultans, is removed from his position as figurehead, and Aybak takes
full control. |
1257 - 1259 |
Al
Mansur Ali I |
Son. |
1259 - 1260 |
Qutuz al Muizzi |
Vice-sultan (1253-1259). Assassinated. |
1260 - 1277 |
Baybars I al Bunduqdari |
A Kipchak Turk. |
1260 |
The
Bahris defeat the
Mongols,
recapturing Aleppo and
Damascus at the same time. |
1261 |
Baybars sets up the Caliphate
at Cairo, following its destruction in Baghdad. |
1268 |
Baybars captures the Crusader city of
Antioch and destroys it. |
1271 |
Unable to take the greatest of the Crusader fortresses by force,
Baybars uses negotiation with the Knights Hospitallers to recover the Krak
de Chevaliers after 162 years of Christian occupation. |
1277 - 1279 |
Al-Said Baraka / Berke Khan |
Son |
1279 |
Salamish / Suleymish
/ Solamish |
Brother. Sent into exile at
Constantinople for being a child ruler. |
1279 - 1290 |
Qalawun al Alfi |
Kipchak Turk and father-in-law to Baraka. |
1289
| Following
a siege by Qalawun al Alfi, the Crusader county of
Tripoli
falls. |
1290 - 1293 |
Al-Ashraf Khalīl |
Son. Assassinated by Turks. |
1291 |
Al-Ashraf Khalīl completes his father's work in taking the Crusader
stronghold of
Acre.
Its fall signals the end of Outremer. |
1293 |
Baydara
al-Mansuri |
Became new vice-sultan to Muhammad I. |
1293 - 1294 |
Al-Nasir Muhammad I |
Son of Qalawun al Alfi. Aged 9 at accession. Deposed. |
1293 - 1294 |
|
Zayn-ad-Din
Kitbugha |
Regent and the true power in Egypt. |
1294 |
Not content with being regent to the nine year-old sultan, Zayn-ad-Din
Kitbugha counters an attempt to remove him from office by deposing the
sultan and seizing the throne for himself. |
1294 - 1296 |
Zayn-ad-Din
Kitbugha Kitbugha |
Former regent. Deposed by his vice-sultan. |
1296 - 1299 |
Lachin / Lajin al
Ashqar |
Former vice-sultan. |
1299 - 1309 |
Al-Nasir Muhammad I |
Seized back the
throne. |
1309 - 1310 |
Baybars II al
Jashnakir (Burji) |
Sultanate imposed on him. Stepped down in favour of
Muhammad. |
1310 - 1341 |
Al-Nasir Muhammad I |
Restored again. |
1314 |
Now fully secure on his throne, Muhammad institutes sweeping changes and
reforms in order to expel those who had conspired or sided against him and
to wipe out corruption. In 1314 he abolishes the post of vice-sultan and
increases aggression against the Dongola
kingdom, forcing its collapse. |
1341 |
Al-Mansur Abu Bakr |
Son. |
1341 - 1342 |
Al-Ashraf Kujuk / Kuchuk |
Brother. |
1342 |
Al-Nasir Ahmad I |
Brother. |
1342 - 1345 |
Al-Salih Ismail |
Brother. |
1345 - 1346 |
Al-Kamil Shaban I |
Brother. |
1346 - 1347 |
Al-Muzzafar Hajji I |
Brother. |
1347 - 1351 |
Al-Nasir Hasan |
Brother. |
1351 - 1354 |
Al-Salih Salih |
Brother. |
1354 - 1361 |
Al-Nasir al Hasan |
|
1361 - 1363 |
Al-Salih Muhammad II |
|
1363 - 1377 |
Al-Ashraf Shaban II |
Grandson of Muhammad I. |
1377 - 1382 |
Al-Mansur Ali II |
Son. |
1382 |
Al-Salih Hajji II |
Brother. |
1382 |
Al-Salih Hajji II is dethroned. Control of the sultanate is secured by
Barquq, a Circassian general, or emir. However, he loses power to a briefly
resurgent Hajji in 1389 and is expelled, only to return a year later. |
1382 - 1388 |
Barquq al Yalburghawi |
First of the
(usually) Circassian Burjis. |
1389 - 1390 |
Al-Salih Hajji II |
Restored. |
1390 |
Cairo is recaptured by Barquq and the
Burji dynasty is born. |
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Mameluke Sultans of Egypt (Burji Dynasty)
AD 1390 - 1517
The Burjis were of Circassian descent, but once they
had dethroned the ruling Bahri sultans and secured their own position, they
endured a stormy relationship with power. The reignal lengths of each sultan
were often short, plagued by behind-the-scenes politicking and power-plays.
Barquq also made an enemy of the powerful ruler of
Persia, Timur, which cost him a great deal of time an effort in needless
warfare in Syria. In the end, their lack of unity cost them, because they
were unable to match the increasingly powerful
Ottomans
in securing territory. |
1390 - 1399 |
Barquq al Yalburghawi |
Restored and
secure on the throne as the founder of the dynasty. |
1399 - 1405 |
Faraj |
|
1405 |
Abd al Aziz |
|
1405 - 1412 |
Faraj |
|
1412 |
al Mustain |
Assumed
Caliphate of
Egypt (1406-1414). |
1412 - 1421 |
Shaykh al Mahmudi (al
Zahiri) |
|
1421 |
Ahmad II |
|
1421 |
Tatar |
|
1421 - 1422 |
Muhammad III |
|
1421 |
Egypt is attacked by the kingdom of
Cyprus. Unable to capture the island, Egypt nevertheless forces the
Cypriots to acknowledge the overlordship of Sultan Barsbay.
 |
|
Typical coins issued by the Mameluke Burjis in Egypt
|
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|
1422 - 1438 |
Barsbay |
|
1438 |
Yusuf |
|
1438 - 1453 |
Chaqmaq / Jaqmaq |
|
1453 |
Uthman |
|
1453 - 1461 |
Inal al Alai al
Zahiri |
|
1461 |
Ahmad III |
|
1461 - 1467 |
Khushqadam |
|
1467 |
Yalbay |
|
1467 - 1468 |
Timurbugha |
|
1468 - 1496 |
Qayit Bay al Zahiri |
|
1496 - 1498 |
Muhammad IV |
|
1498 - 1500 |
Qansawh I |
|
1500 - 1501 |
Janbulat |
|
1501 |
Tuman Bay I |
|
1501 - 1515 |
Qansawh II al Ghawri |
Killed in battle. |
1515 - 1517 |
The
Ottoman
sultan begins a war against Egypt which ultimately sees the latter
conquered. Sultan Qansawh II al Ghawri is killed on 24 August 1515 at the
Battle of Merj Dabik. Syria is immediately captured. |
1516 - 1517 |
Tuman Bay II |
Captured by the
Ottomans
and murdered. |
1517 |
Cairo, and Egypt, is conquered by
Ottoman
empire under Selim I Yavuz.
The line of Mamelukes continues to hold power as vassals. |
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Ottoman Governors of Egypt
AD 1517 - 1768
Although the Mamelukes retained some control of Egypt as its ruling class,
they were now vassals of the
Ottomans,
and the real day-to-day power was eventually wielded by the Ottoman-appointed governors, or
walis. |
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|
|
|
1699 - 1704 |
Muhmmad (Qara) Pasha |
First appointed wali. |
|
1704 |
Suleiman Pasha |
|
|
1704 - 1706 |
Muhammad (Rami) Pasha |
Died 1706. |
|
1706 - 1707 |
'Ali Pasha |
|
|
1707 - 1709 |
Hassan (Damada) Pasha |
|
|
1709 - 1710 |
Ibrahim Pasha |
|
|
1710 - 1711 |
Khalil (Khosej) Pasha |
|
|
1711 - 1714 |
Wali Pasha |
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|
1714 - 1717 |
Abdi Pasha |
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|
1717 - 1720 |
'Ali (Kiaya) Pasha |
|
|
1720 - 1721 |
Rajab Pasha |
|
|
1721 - 1725 |
Muhammad (Nishanji) Pasha |
|
|
1725 - 1726 |
'Ali Muraly Pasha |
|
|
1726 - 1727 |
Muhammad (Nishanji) Pasha |
Second term of office. |
|
1727 |
Abdi Pasha |
Second term of office. |
|
1727 - 1729 |
Abu Bakr Pasha |
|
|
1729 - 1733 |
Abdallah (Heupruluzade) Pasha |
|
|
1733 - 1734 |
Muahmmad (Silahdar) Pasha |
|
|
1734 |
Abu Bakr Pasha |
Second term of office. |
|
1734 - 1741 |
'Ali (Hakimzade) Pasha |
|
|
1741 - 1743 |
Yahya Pasha |
|
|
1743 - 1744 |
Muhammad Sa'id Pasha |
|
|
1744 - 1748 |
Muhammad (Ragib) Pasha |
|
|
1748 - 1752 |
Ahmad Pasha |
|
|
1752 |
Muahmmad Melek Pasha |
|
|
1752 - 1755 |
Hassan ash-Sharawi |
|
|
1755 - 1756 |
'Ali (Hakimzade) Pasha |
Second term of office. |
|
1756 - 1757 |
Sa'id ad-Din Pasha |
|
|
1757 - 1760 |
Muhammad Sa'id Pasha |
Second term of office. |
|
1760 - 1762 |
Mustafa (Bahir Keuse) Pasha |
|
|
1762 - 1765 |
Ahmad Pasha |
|
|
1765 - 1766 |
Bakr Pasha |
|
|
1766 - 1767 |
Hamza (Silahdar Mahir) Pasha |
|
|
1767 |
Muhammad Melek Pasha |
|
|
1767 - 1768 |
Muhammad (Raquim) Pasha |
|
|
1768 |
1768 Muhammad (Diwitdar) Pasha |
|
1768 |
The Mameluke Beys seize power in Egypt and thereafter
their successors remain de facto rulers of the country. |
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Mameluke Beys of Egypt
AD 1768 - 1811
Although the Mamelukes retained some control of Egypt as its ruling class,
they had long been vassals of the
Ottomans,
and the real day-to-day power had been wielded by Ottoman-appointed
Governors, or walis. In 1768, the Mameluke Beys seized power in Egypt and thereafter,
their successors remained de facto rulers of the country. |
|
1768 - 1772 |
Ali Bey al-Kabir |
Son of a
Georgian monk. Killed in 1773. |
1768 - 1771 |
Ali Bey deposes the
Ottoman
governor and assumes full control of Egypt. The payment of annual tribute is
stopped and in 1769, Ali Bey has his name struck on coins. The following
year he gains control of the Hijaz and in 1771 briefly occupies Syria,
effectively recreating the Mameluke
state. |
1771 - 1772 |
In June 1771, Abu al-Dhahab, the commander of Ali Bey's troops in Syria,
refuses to fight against the
Ottomans.
When he turns on Ali Bey in 1772, the latter loses power. He is killed in
Cairo in 1773. |
|
1769 |
Human Abu Yusuf |
Leader of Hawwara Arabs and de facto ruler in Upper Egypt. |
|
1773 - 1775 |
Muhammad Bey Abu`dh Dhahab |
Died 1775. |
1775 - 1777 |
A triumvirate is formed between the military governor, Murad Bey, Ibrahim Bey, the civil governor, and Yusuf Bey, the head of the
Mecca Pligrims. |
|
1777 - 1778 |
Isma'il Bey |
|
|
1778 - 1786 |
Murad Bey |
|
|
1778 - 1786 |
|
Isma'il Bey |
Joint ruler and formerly in sole control (1777-1778). |
1786 - 1790 |
A new triumvirate is formed, consisting of Isma'il Bey, 'Ali Bey Defterdar,
and Hasan Bey. |
|
1790 - 1798 |
Murad Bey |
Restored. |
|
1790 - 1798 |
|
Ibrahim Bey |
Joint ruler and former member of first triumvirate in
1775. |
1798 - 1799 |
Republican
France
invades Egypt under the leadership of Napoleon Bonaparte, in the hopes of
creating a corridor to
Britain's possessions in
India. His battles against the Mamelukes fatally weakens them, and
temporarily drives them into Upper Egypt.
 |
|
Napoleon's invasion of Egypt spelled the end of power for the
Mameluke Bays
|
|
|
|
1800 - 1801 |
Murad Bey |
Restored. |
|
1800 - 1801 |
|
Ibrahim Bey |
Restored. |
1801 - 1803 |
The
French
are driven out of Egypt by the
British. The Mamelukes and the Ottoman walis continue their fight for independence, now
against Britain and the
Ottoman
sultans.
The British pull out in 1803, focussed on holding
India and opposing Napoleon's power in Europe. |
|
1801 |
Nasih Pasha |
Ottoman
wali. |
|
1801 - 1802 |
Kucuk Hussein Pasha |
Ottoman
wali. |
|
1802 - 1803 |
|
Elfi Bey |
Joint ruler. |
|
1803 - 1804 |
|
Ibrahim Bey |
Restored as joint ruler. |
|
1802 - 1803 |
Khusrau Pasha |
Ottoman
wali. |
|
1803 |
Taher Pasha |
Ottoman
wali. Died 1803. |
|
1803 |
Khurshid Pasha |
Ottoman
wali. |
|
1803 - 1804 |
'Ali Pasha Jazairli |
Ottoman
wali. |
|
1804 |
Othman al Bardeisy / Osman Bardisi |
Acting
Ottoman
wali. |
|
1804 - 1805 |
Khurshid Pasha |
Ottoman
wali for the second time. |
1805 - 1806 |
Cairo
rebels against
Ottoman
control in 1805, but the weakened Mamelukes are unable to exploit the
situation and take full control. Instead, a treaty is negotiated in 1806
after several Mameluke defeats of Ottoman troops. Muhammad Ali, Ottoman
governor of Egypt from March 1806 is supposed to be removed and Egypt
commanded entirely by the Mamelukes, but again, Mameluke weaknesses prevent
this from happening. |
|
1805 - 1811 |
Muhammad Ali Pasha |
Ottoman
wali. |
1811 |
After
arranging a coup on 1 March in which most of the leading Mamelukes are
murdered, Pasha Muhammad Ali takes
full control of Egypt. |
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|
House of Muhammad Ali in Egypt
AD 1811 - 1953
Muhammad Ali seized a weakened Egypt from the
Mameluke sultans by tricking
them into attending a celebration of the declaration of war against the
Wahhabis of Arabia. Once there, most of them were murdered. A general
massacre of Mamelukes throughout the country followed.
Muhammad Ali's position as wali, or
Governor, became hereditary,
and his descendants ruled Egypt thereafter, albeit under the nominal authority of the Ottoman
empire at first, although they continued to increase their power, becoming
viceroys in 1867, sultans in 1914, and kings in 1922. |
1811 - 1848 |
Muhammad Ali
Pasha |
Ottoman governor of Egypt
from 1805. |
1818 - 1822 |
Muhammad Ali occupies
Arabia.
Between 1820-1822 he also conquers
Sudan. |
1827 |
Ordered by the Ottoman
empire
to send a fleet to Greece to put a stop to the efforts being made for
independence there,
Muhammad Ali's fleet is sunk by vessels sent by the
Russians,
French and
British. |
1838 - 1843 |
Muhammad Ali re-occupies
Arabia. |
1848 |
Ibrahim
Pasha |
|
1848 - 1849 |
Muhammad Ali
Pasha |
Restored to office. Died 1849. |
1849 - 1854 |
'Abbas Hilmi
Pasha I |
|
1854 - 1863 |
Muhammad Said
Pasha |
|
1859 |
Construction on the Suez Canal is started by the
British. |
1863 - 1879 |
Ismail
Pasha |
Khedive (viceroy) 1867-1879.
Died 1895. |
1869 |
The Suez Canal is opened.
Britain buys
the khedive's share in
the canal in 1875. |
1872 - 1874 |
Ismail conquers South Sudan. |
1879 - 1892 |
Muhammad Tawfiq
Pasha |
Khedive. |
1881 - 1882 |
The Sudanese revolt
under the Mahdi against
Turco-Egyptian
administration, and the following year the
British occupation of Egypt begins. |
1892 - 1914 |
Abbas Hilmi
Pasha II |
Died 1944. |
1914 - 1922 |
Egypt becomes a
British Protectorate and the khedive is promoted to sultan. |
1914 - 1917 |
Husayn Kamil |
Sultan. |
1917 - 1936 |
Ahmad Fuad I |
Sultan 1917-1922.
King in 1922. |
1936 - 1952 |
Faruq / Farouk |
Deposed by military
coup. Died 1965. |
1952 - 1953 |
A group of army officers overthrow King Farouk and declare Egypt a republic. |
1952 - 1953 |
Ahmad Fuad II |
|
1954 |
Parliamentary rule
is instigated. The country is headed by a president |
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Modern Egypt
AD 1953 - Present Day
Egypt retains its ancient borders for the most part,
and is bordered to the west by Libya, to the south by Sudan,
and on the east by
Saudi
Arabia,
Jordan,
and
Israel
(along with the occupied Palestinian territory of Gaza). The Egyptian
Revolution of 1952 overthrew the king (its initial aim) and eventually
abolished the monarchy, replacing it with a republic. The monarchy had been
seen to be corrupt (a common complaint in the region at this time) and pro-British. |
|
|
|
1958 - 1961 |
Syria
and Egypt agree the United Arab Republic, whereby the two countries merge.
The agreement lasts until a coup in Syria causes it to secede.
 |
|
Egyptian Prime Minister Gamal Nasser after announcing the
nationalisation of the British Suez Canal Company in 1956,
sparking a major international crisis
|
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|
1967 |
The Yom Kippur War
takes place, with Egypt and
Jordan
opposed against
Israel. Jordan loses the West Bank, a third of the
kingdom. |
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|
1981 |
Muhammad Hosni Mubarak becomes president, and remains in the post
indefinitely. |
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