Muhammad Ali prized Egyptians mainly as cheap labor to replace costly British workers.

Evidence

Yet, he obviously knew that it was these “animals” who were the source of his wealth and good fortune. Moreover, they were cheap and docile for the most part. When he imported two steamships from Britain, the British technicians and workers manning them caused a lot of problems, basically because they were expensive, “stubborn and unreliable.” The Pasha then thought of appointing a couple of Egyptian men as assistants to the British workers to learn from them the job so that he could get rid of them eventually. — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 1548

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the broader history of Egyptianization and replacement of foreign technical staff in the modern Egyptian army.