Training manuals specified even the exact position of soldiers’ fingers and gaze.

Evidence

The ankles of every soldier must be close to each other and be aligned on a straight line … and the angle between the foot and that line should be acute … The body must be as straight as a post. The shoulders must be held back and the elbows must touch his body. The palms must be turned outward a little, and the little finger must be placed along the plaited cord (qītān) of the pocket of the trousers. The head must be held upright with no fatigue in such a way that the chin be close to the neck, but without covering it. The eyes have to be looking ahead at a distance of approximately fifteen feet. — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 738

Categorization

• SHARE: A precise, vivid quote from an actual 19th-century Egyptian drill manual specifying finger placement and gaze distance from the training manual Ta’lim al-Nafar.
• CANDY: The detail about the little finger resting on the trouser pocket cord is absurdly specific and quotable.