Plain Talk

By Mursi Saad El-Din

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I cannot think of two countries closer to each other than Greece and Egypt. Both in their ancient and modern history the two peoples have been strongly linked with each other. Apart from the fact that, at one time, Egypt was ruled by Hellenic kings and queens, it is the blending of the two people which has been the mark of such excellent relations.

This close link continues into the present time; and Alexandria is, perhaps, its most obvious symbol. What is really interesting, and it is a fact that is overlooked, is that Muhammad Ali was behind the arrival of Greeks in Egypt in the modern era, and to Alexandria in particular.

Following the end of Hellenic rule when Alexandria was the capital of an empire, the city fell on bad times. Its revival came at the hands of Muhammad Ali. In fact the history of modern Alexandria is believed to begin with his rule. When he came to power, Alexandria was, according to Khaled Fahmy in the AUC book Alexandria Real and Imagined, a small fishing settlement of less than 5,000 inhabitants, which Muhammad Ali transformed into a large port city of 100,000.

Muhammad Ali's interest in Alexandria was due to his fear of any foreigners arriving at the shores -- like what happened when in March 1867 British forces landed in Alexandria to forestall any attempt by the French to re-conquer Egypt.

To link Alexandria with the rest of Egypt Muhammad Ali began in 1817 digging the Canal, which provided Alexandria with a regular supply of fresh water.

It was on 16 July 1805 that Muhammad Ali officially became the Wali of Egypt. He adopted Egypt as his country and can be truly regarded as the creator of Egypt as a modern nation- state. He had faith in Egypt and its future and he was proud of a country which, in his own words, "enjoyed leadership of the civilisation of the Old World and will regain this leadership in a future which is certain".

For some time the history and role of Muhammad Ali were ignored, but in 2005 Egypt celebrated two hundred years since his accession. That occasion furnished an opportunity for the re-writing of history and the production of revisionary accounts.

Muhammad Ali's concentration on developing Egypt did not stop his interest in his motherland, and his city of birth Kavalah. He never forgot the city and in 1846, 45 years after he had left it, he visited it. Muhammad Ali had built, in 1819, in Kavalah, a complex of charitable buildings. The complex included two madrasas, which between them taught traditional Islamic sciences and modern sciences and mathematics. The second madrasa is one of the earliest examples of a Western-style technical school and is a reflection of the programme of modernisation which Muhammad Ali was simultaneously enacting in Egypt. To supply the expenses of the madrasas Muhammad Ali established a Waqf, or pious foundation.

These buildings were called Imaret and now the Greek government is celebrating their renovation. The celebration will include a special C P Cavafi event in May. The ambassador of Greece invited a number of Egyptian intellectuals -- artists, writers and academics -- to a lunch, to discuss the project and the programme. Among the guests were Mohamed Salmawi, Adli Bishai, Laila Elwi, Hussein Fahmi and Magda Shahin, the former ambassador to Greece who played an important role in the renovation of Imaret.

The guests listened to the explanation by Anna Massriyan, the director of Imaret, who projected images of this historical monument. The May celebration will be dedicated to Naguib Mahfouz. It is hoped that Imaret will become a centre for the meetings of intellectuals from Greece and Egypt, and will strengthen existing ties between the two countries.