Mehmed Ali saw himself as an Ottoman vali, not an independent ruler

Evidence

This hesitation can only be explained by the Pasha’s own ambivalent feelings toward the Ottoman Empire and his position within it. Rather than seeing himself as a leader of a province seeking independence from the Ottoman Empire, Mehmed Ali was only too aware of the fact that technically and legally he was still a vali appointed by the Ottoman Sultan in Istanbul to rule a province within the Empire. There are various signs that show that the Pasha did indeed take this aspect of his rule seriously and though he appears independent-minded, often taking decisions in his province without consulting his sovereign, this does not mean that he dismissed Ottoman authority altogether. For example, the annual firman of investiture re-appointing him in his pashalɩks was received in great pomp and splendor and a big celebration was held to read it aloud in the Citadel. The Pasha himself was Turkish-speaking and as far as is known he never spoke Arabic (although it is difficult to believe that he did not understand it). As a further example of his Ottoman character, when the canal joining Alexandria to the Nile was dug he decided to name it the Maḥmūdiyya, after Sultan Mahmud II. The Pasha was also very well informed about developments in the Ottoman capital Istanbul. His agent in Istanbul, Najib Efendi, and other informers, updated him regularly about developments there and looked after his interests in the capital. In his attempt to keep in touch with developments there as closely as possible he ordered Boghus Bey, his chief foreign advisor, to buy a brig that would be fast enough to transport mail swiftly to and from Istanbul. To increase his influence in the capital he was in the habit of regularly sending “presents” to various officials in the Ottoman government as well to members of the imperial family. The Ottoman “sentiments” of the Pasha’s rule and outlook is probably best shown in his ideas about culture and good manners. When he decided to educate his nephew, Ibrahim Yegen, in “good manners,” it was not to London or to Paris that he sent him but to Istanbul. His palaces, furthermore, were designed in an explicitly Ottoman style. Similarly, the imperial looking mosque that he built in Cairo and which dominates the city’s skyline was also built in the Ottoman style. His culture and court etiquette were fashioned around his understanding of Ottoman models. In short, the Pasha’s world was an Ottoman world; he understood things within that context and it made sense to him to view matters from that perspective. — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 262

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reader’s interest in the Ottoman Pashas — placement of Mehmed Ali’s identity within the Ottoman frame, relevant alongside the later British-Ottoman interaction chapters.