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Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali

1 8.6
An Albanian-born ruler who made Egypt more independent and modern
  • proper noun
  • /mʊˈhɑːməd ˈɑːli/
: Mehmet Alí
  • By 1819, he was no longer called vali, or governor of Egypt, but His Highness the Viceroy. Muhammad Ali was 'the founder of modern Egypt.'

Examples

  • As the Ottoman viceroy, Muhammad Ali is credited with founding modern Egypt by asserting its autonomy from the empire.

  • Muhammad Ali was made hereditary governor; his family would reign in Egypt until King Farouk's departure from Ras el-Tine on July 26th, 1952.

    Academic text (2010)
  • Egypt and its ally France wanted Muhammad Ali to keep control of Syria.

    Academic text (2010)
  • Muhammad Ali's move to Alexandria, however, was about more than trade.

    Academic text (2010)
  • Muhammad Ali believed in employing Frenchmen in Egypt.

    Academic text (2010)
  • Muhammad Ali and his court were beginning to model themselves as much on the Parisian court as that of Constantinople.

    Academic text (2010)
  • The reason for the transformation was Muhammad Ali Pasha's ambition to create a modern Egyptian monarchy.

    Academic text (2010)
  • Between 1831 and 1832, Muhammad Ali conquered Syria, and his modernized forces reached deep into Anatolia.

    Academic text (2010)
  • But the energy and vision of the Ottoman governor Muhammad Ali restored its fortunes and ultimately set Egypt on the path to independence, as Philip Mansei explains.

    Academic text (2010)
  • Muhammad Ali, an Albanian-born soldier, became the Ottoman viceroy of Egypt and implemented key reforms in the early 19th century.

Synonyms

Muhammad Ali of Egypt
vsMuhammad Ali
1 7.9

An Albanian soldier who became ruler of Egypt in the 1800s and made many changes to the army and government

is the same figure but without the geographic tag
Mohammed Ali
vsMuhammad Ali
1 8.6

An Albanian soldier and leader who takes control of Egypt from the Ottoman Empire and starts modern reforms

is the same figure but uses a different standard spelling
Mehemet Ali
vsMuhammad Ali
9.6

An Albanian soldier who becomes Egypt's ruler and ends Ottoman rule by starting modern reforms

is the same figure but appears with modern transliteration

Surface Forms

Morphology

Muhammad + Ali

This is a proper name referring to a specific historical individual (Muhammad Ali Pasha) whose identity and role cannot be derived from the constituent personal names. A B1 learner who knows the names 'Muhammad' and 'Ali' would not be able to infer the person’s historical status as Ottoman viceroy or founder of modern Egypt; proper names are arbitrary and often referents are language- and culture-specific, making this opaque.

Etymology

Muhammad Ali was an Albanian soldier who rose to become the ruler of Egypt in the 1800s. He built a strong army and made big changes to the farms and government, so people remember him as the 'founder of modern Egypt'.