Ruler
Ahmad ʿUrabi
Leader of the ʿUrabi revolution
1841 – 1911
Lifespan.
Biography
An Egyptian officer of peasant origin who led a movement demanding rights for Egyptian officers, a representative assembly, and an end to foreign interference. He was defeated by the British army at Tel el-Kebir in 1882 and exiled to Ceylon, returning to Egypt in 1901.
Key facts
Certainty: Established
In September 1881 ʿUrabi led a military demonstration at ʿAbdin Palace, demanding that Khedive Tawfiq dismiss the ministry and convene an assembly.
- Juan R. I. Cole (1993) “Colonialism and Revolution in the Middle East: Social and Cultural Origins of Egypt’s ʿUrabi Movement” Princeton University Press