# Muhammad Ali Becomes Governor of Egypt (July 1805)

URL: https://allhistories.com/egypt/timeline/1805-muhammad-ali-becomes-governor-of-egypt
Themes: Rulers & Successions

Muhammad Ali, an officer born in Kavala who had arrived in Egypt with an Albanian contingent of the Ottoman army in 1801, emerged from the struggles between Ottoman governors and Mamluk beys as the most powerful figure in Cairo. In May 1805 the ulama and notables of Cairo, led by Umar Makram, deposed the unpopular governor Hurshid Pasha and asked Muhammad Ali to take his place. In July 1805 Sultan Selim III reluctantly confirmed him as governor (wali) of Egypt. Muhammad Ali would rule for more than four decades and found a dynasty that reigned in Egypt until 1952.

## Why it matters
Muhammad Ali's rise to power began the dynasty and the modernising state that shaped Egypt for the next century and a half.

Ruler at the Time: [Muhammad Ali](https://allhistories.com/egypt/rulers/muhammad-ali)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Muhammad Ali of Egypt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Ali_of_Egypt)
- [Wikipedia — Muhammad Ali's rise to power](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Ali's_rise_to_power)
- [Wikipedia — Muhammad Ali dynasty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Ali_dynasty)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Muhammad Ali Becomes Governor of Egypt](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Muhammad+Ali+Becomes+Governor+of+Egypt)
- [Wikipedia — Egypt under Muhammad Ali and his successors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypt_under_Muhammad_Ali_and_his_successors)