Mehmed Ali’s 1815 attempt to reform his Albanian troops imitated French drill and dress

Evidence

In August 1815, however, the Pasha decided to impose order on the troops by force, and “to put their pay and expenses under an organized principle (rabita ve nizam).” Influenced by a certain Ibrahim Ağa who had recently arrived from Istanbul, the Pasha gathered his Albanian soldiers in Maydān al-Rumayla at the foot of the Citadel for target practice. For over three hours the soldiers fired their guns in “successive volleys making a thundery noise like the French.” The following day it was rumored that the Pasha wanted to have a count of the soldiers and “to train them according to al-nizām al-jadīd, copying the positions of the French. He wanted them to put on tight clothes and to change their appearance (ughayyir shaklahum).” — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 434