In 1805, when Muhammad Ali Pasha was appointed the Ottoman governor of Egypt, he only had control of the Capital Cairo... Everywhere else, he was fighting for control with the Mamluks, a warrior caste of slave soldiers who had ruled Egypt for centuries. But when the British invaded Egypt in May 1807, fearing that the Mamluks would ally with them and overwhelm him, he quickly sent emissaries to the Mamluks and promised to grant all their demands, if they joined him to expel the British. The Mamluks agreed... After they successfully expelled the British, they still continued to have a frosty relationship, with Muhammad Ali granting some of their demands, and skirmishes erupting between their soldiers from time to time. In 1811, Muhammad Ali scheming to be finally rid of this torn in his flesh once and for all, devised a plan... He invited the Mamluks as honored guests to the ceremony of his son's appointment as commander of the army. When the Mamluk chiefs arrived, Muhammad Ali graciously received them in the citadel and offered them coffee. (The Ottomans – present-day Turkey – received guests with coffee. The brewing of coffee originated in their Empire. They served it in elaborate coffee ceremonies for honored guests.) When it was time for the Mamluks to leave, they formed a procession towards the citadel gates. Ali's troops were before and behind them in the procession. As they arrived at the narrow path just before the citadel gates, the gate was suddenly shut and they were trapped... Then Ali's soldiers climbed the surrounding buildings, opened fire and massacred all four hundred and seventy of them. The Mamluk chiefs were then decapitated and their heads sent to Istanbul. The betrayal at the citadel was just the beginning. Governors throughout Egypt also had prior instructions to eliminate all Mamluks in their provinces. And in one fell swoop, Muhammad Ali Pasha rid Egypt of the powerful Mamluks who had ruled the country for centuries. Lesson: If your "former" enemy invites you to dinner after a sudden U-turn, better think twice. "Trust not a new friend nor an old enemy." ––– Irish Proverb
@LessonHist @waweru Do you mean the Abrams Accord? Just trying to think...
