Mehmed Ali publicly designated Sultan Mahmud and the fellah as his twin benefactors

Evidence

In 1836, and at the height of his career, Mehmed Ali is reported to have received a letter from one of his officials informing him that a number of workers had been imprisoned in the “factory” they were working in. The Pasha answered the official sternly telling him not to treat the fellahin in that brutal way. … Did I not tell you before [he reprimanded him], that the sources of my benefaction [lit. awliā’ ni’matī] are two: Sultan Mahmud and the fellah. The reason I am repeating this to you is to urge you not to treat the fellah as your enemy … [since] our honor and glory and all we receive and give is due to the fellah and his efforts. — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 1539

Categorization

• XREF: Relates to the reader’s focus on Mehmed Ali’s military expansion and Egyptian army origins — the fellahin as the labor base for that expansion.