"An officer and an Ottoman gentleman
Khaled Fahmy* questions the similarities between Gamal Abdel-Nasser and 'Mehmed Ali'
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Two significant anniversaries in modern Egyptian history recently coincided. 11 July was the bicentenary of an Ottoman firman appointing Mehmed Ali (more commonly transliterated from Arabic as Muhammad 'Ali) as governor of Egypt thus inaugurating his long tenure as Egypt's ruler and launching an unprecedented period of social, cultural, economic and military reform. 23 July was the 53rd anniversary of the Revolution that brought Gamal Abdel-Nasser to power, a leader who managed through his social and economic policies to change Egyptian society in very significant ways."
More:Al-Ahram Weekly | Special | An officer and an Ottoman gentleman
