About ‘The rise and fall of Royal Alexandria: from Muhammad Ali to Farouk’
The Muhammad Ali reign
For the sake of truth and revision of our Egyptian history to know
the true events and the real facts, I am writing this article. I would
like to share it with you, with all due respects to antagonizing
opinions. The title herein, is the original title of a lecture, I
attended in the Bibliotheca Alexandrina on March the 21st, given by the
eminent British historian, Philip Mansel, who is an authority on the
Ottoman empire, the Levant and the French Revolution and has to date,
eleven book titles, of which the most acclaimed three are,
“Constantinople”, “Levant” and “Sultans in Splendour” and believe what,
these are his only three books about the East Mediterranean history. The
presenter and animator of the lecture was the renown Dr. Khaled Fahmy,
the Egyptian historian, scholar and the head of the History Department
of the AUC. To a heavy attendance, Professor Mansel, addressed his
audience with a PowerPoint picture slide of old Alexandria,
personalities and events.
Dr. Mansel, started to talk about
how, Muhammad Ali, found in the beginning of his reign, Alexandria, as a
small coastal village full of ruins with a population of only six
thousand people mainly indigenous. Then, understanding the value of the
city, its strategic position and its potential, he started to stay in
it, to study plans to upgrade it, in gradually increasing periods of
time. Then he commissioned many huge projects that resurrected the city
from ashes, like the naval arsenal, the Mahmudiye canal inaugurated in
February 1821, the refurbishing of the naval port of Alexandria and the
establishment of Ras el-Tin palace which was started to be built in 1817
and intensified extensively the fortifications of the city from 1812
on. He was the first ruler since hundreds of years to allow Christians
to ring the church’s bells officially. Due to the fact that he has been
the first also to announce across the country a state of religious
tolerance to all religions and their denominations, many flocks of
oppressed Jewish and Christian Europeans from one side and from other
territories of the Ottoman empire, decided to settle in Egypt. They
brought their expertise, new ideas, enthusiasm and work power to build
new beginnings to themselves and their families, and henceforth affected
positively the general local population. New opportunities arose, so
European talents were attracted to serve Muhammad Ali and presented him
their abilities to modernize Egypt and his beloved Alexandria. (To be
continued)
Dr. Mansel, started to talk about how, Muhammad Ali, found in the beginning of his reign, Alexandria, as a small coastal village full of ruins with a population of only six thousand people mainly indigenous. Then, understanding the value of the city, its strategic position and its potential, he started to stay in it, to study plans to upgrade it, in gradually increasing periods of time. Then he commissioned many huge projects that resurrected the city from ashes, like the naval arsenal, the Mahmudiye canal inaugurated in February 1821, the refurbishing of the naval port of Alexandria and the establishment of Ras el-Tin palace which was started to be built in 1817 and intensified extensively the fortifications of the city from 1812 on. He was the first ruler since hundreds of years to allow Christians to ring the church’s bells officially. Due to the fact that he has been the first also to announce across the country a state of religious tolerance to all religions and their denominations, many flocks of oppressed Jewish and Christian Europeans from one side and from other territories of the Ottoman empire, decided to settle in Egypt. They brought their expertise, new ideas, enthusiasm and work power to build new beginnings to themselves and their families, and henceforth affected positively the general local population. New opportunities arose, so European talents were attracted to serve Muhammad Ali and presented him their abilities to modernize Egypt and his beloved Alexandria. (To be continued)
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