Muhammad Ali Pasha

• He was born in 1769, in Kavala, Macedonia (Greece).
• His father worked in tobacco trade and shipping. When Muhammad Ali became 10, he joined his father in tobacco trade and ship leasing. He also succeeded his father in commanding the military irregulars where he showed bravery.
• He came to Egypt as a part of an Ottoman military division to expel the French, but the Ottoman troops were defeated in the Battle of Abukir in 1799, and he went back to his homeland.
• Muhammad Ali came back to Egypt in March 1801 among Captain Hussein’s Army who came to help the British to evacuate the French from Egypt. He participated in the battles between the English and the Ottomans on one side, and the French on the other. Eventually, they expelled the French, so he gained great fame.
• After the evacuation of the French campaign, he was promoted to Major General. After that, he was nominated to be the chief of the general command and the head of the ruler’s palace guards.
• On July 9, 1805, men of wisdom pledged allegiance to Muhammad Ali to become the ruler of Egypt after the ouster of Hurshid Pasha.
• He devoted great attention to scientific missions and created a class of well-educated people.
• He established many schools such as ElMohandes Khana School, Al-Alsun School, the accounting school and the art and crafts school.
• He established the first military school in Aswan and the first Egyptian military school in Paris.
• He established the health council, schools of medicine and pharmacy, school of obstetrics and nursing and Qasr El-Einy School of Medicine. He also started to apply the compulsory vaccination.
• He cancelled a compulsive system within the land tenure system and distributed the agricultural lands among the farmers.
• The industries that he introduced to Egypt came in three types: (processing industries, manufacturing and war production).
• He established an independent divan for Egyptian trade.
• He paved many roads and ports, thus helping the trade system succeed. He also established Bank of Alexandria.
• Muhammad Ali fell ill on September 2, 1848, and Ibrahim Pasha became the ruler upon a decree issued from the ruling palace.
• Muhammad Ali passed away on August 2, 1849.