Khaled Fahmy

A well-structured, well-written, and informative introduction to the life and accomplishments of Mehmed Ali (currently better known as Muhammad Ali). The only thing I wish Fahmy had done better is to explain the connections between the institutions Mehmed Ali founded and their influence on Egyptian life after his death. I wouldn't expect the author to do that in great detail, as this is an introductory work and it does not present itself as a longitudinal study of Egyptian politics and society but rather a narrow study of Mehmed Ali's life, however Fahmy does repeatedly reference the far-reaching effects of these institutions. A brief outline of perhaps no more than 10 pages or so explaining how they survived Mehmed Ali and morphed into the institutions of 20th and 21st century Egypt would have been greatly appreciated. As it is, Fahmy assures us there institutions did have enormous impacts on Egyptian society long after the death of their founder, but doesn't give us more than his word that this is so. However, a great book overall and I recommend it to anyone interested in Mehmed Ali, Egypt or Ottoman history.… (meer)