Egyptian Eyewitness Describes Napoleon's Brutal Invasion (1798) Al-Jabarti's Chronicle

On Sunday the 10th of Muharram, messengers arrived with letters, bearing word that ten European ships had reached the port of Alexandria on Thursday the 8th and had stopped at such a distance that the inhabitants of the port could see them. A short while later, another 15 ships had appeared. The inhabitants of the port had been awaiting their messenger when suddenly a boat came from these ships bearing ten men. When they reached the shore, the people of the town spoke with them, asking who they were. They replied that they were English who had come to inquire about the French. The people of the town told them, no French are with us except those who reside in the port. The English informed them that the French had set out from their country with a great fleet. We are their enemies and we do not know what direction they intend to sail. Perhaps they will attack you suddenly and you will not be able to repel them. However, Al-Sayyid Muhammad Qurayyim did not believe their words and thought them to be trickery. The English thereupon requested, sell us water and provisions according to their value and we shall stay in our ships lying in wait for them. When they come, we shall take care of the matter and save you the trouble. The above-mentioned Muhammad Qurayyim declined their offer and said, we do not accept what you say nor will we give you anything. Then he expelled them that God's will might be fulfilled. On the third day more letters arrived with words that the ships were no longer visible, so people calmed down and their prattling ceased. As for the emirs, they neither cared nor bothered themselves with this matter. On Wednesday, the 20th of Muharram, news and letters arrived from the ports of Alexandria, Rosetta and Damanhur with word that on Monday, the 18th, the people of the port suddenly They realized that the French and their ships had reached Al-Ajami and were advancing on the town at daybreak, like a swarm of locusts. The people were excited and shouts filled the air. Then the inhabitants of the port attacked the French and fought them fiercely. As a result, a great number of the people of the port were killed and the rest fled. The Kashif also fled and saved himself. Meanwhile, the French continuously increased in number. They scaled the ruined parts of the walls surrounding the port and entered it. The people looked about and suddenly found the French behind them and withdrew in haste seeking their homes, only to discover the French had occupied the new Manchia and had surrounded the walls. The people took refuge in the inns and houses and locked themselves in. Others fortified themselves and locked themselves in the big tower in the citadel, firing continuously for some time from the tops of the towers and windows with bullets, but their gunpowder ran out and they were not at all prepared. Soon afterwards, the notables of the town went out to the French, who received them. Then they raised their flags, which are known among them as Bandirat, disarmed the populace and had them sew their emblem on their breasts. This video is sponsored by MagellanTV. How many men and women were mobilized during World War II? A. 56 million B. 127 million C. 187 million That's correct, 127 million, 34 million of which was Soviet troops. And so, my recommendation on MagellanTV this week is a great new arrival to the platform. VE Day with Tony Robinson, a fascinating minute-by-minute exploration of one of the most momentous days in history. Full of interviews and great insights, it's a perfect way to learn more about the conflict. And of course, Magellan have more than 3,000 other documentaries to check out too. It's a sort of Netflix for documentaries. So click on the link in the description for an exclusive month-long free trial for Voices of the Past viewers. Thanks. During the course of these events, gloom spread among the populace and was felt in the marketplaces and people withdrew to their homes from sunset onwards. As a result, the people publicly called for the reopening of the markets and the coffeehouses and ordered the lamps outside the houses and shops to be lit once again. This was done for two reasons, firstly to dispel the gloom and create an atmosphere of ease and comfort, and secondly, out of fear that an alien might have free reign in the town. On Monday, news arrived that the French had reached Damanhur and Rosetta, bringing about the flight of their inhabitants to Foua and its surroundings. Contained in the news was mention of the French sending notices throughout the country, demanding tax for the upkeep of the military. Furthermore, they printed a large proclamation in Arabic, calling on the people to obey them and raise their bandiera. In this proclamation were inducements, warnings, all manner of wiliness and stipulations. Some copies were sent from the provinces of Cairo and its text is, In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. There is no God but God. He has no son, nor has he an associate in his dominion. On behalf of the French Republic, which is based upon the foundation of liberty and equality, General Bonaparte, commander-in-chief of the French armies, makes known to all the Egyptian people that for a long time the Sanjaks, who lorded it over Egypt, have treated the French community basely and contemptuously and have persecuted its merchants with all manner of extortion and violence. Whereupon the hour of punishment has come. Blessing on blessing to the Egyptians who will act in concert with us, without any delay, for their condition shall be rightfully adjusted and their rank raised. But woe upon woe to those who will unite with the Mamluks and assist them in the war against us, for they will not find the way of escape, and no trace of them shall remain. Here is an explanation of the incoherent words and vulgar constructions which he put into this miserable letter. Their statement, on behalf of the French Republic, etc., that is, the proclamation sent from their Republic, that means their body politic, because they have no chief or sultan with whom they agree, like others, whose function is to speak on their behalf. When they rebelled against their sultan six years ago and killed him, the people agreed unanimously that there was not to be a single ruler, but that their state, territories, laws and administration of their affairs should be in the hands of the intelligent and wise men among them. They followed this rule, great and small, high and low, male and female, are equal. Sometimes they break this rule according to their whims or inclinations or reasoning. Their women do not veil themselves but have no modesty. They do not care whether they uncover their private parts. Whenever a Frenchman has to perform an act of nature, he does so wherever he happens to be, even in full view of people, and he goes away as he is, without washing his private parts after defecation. If he is a man of taste and refinement, he wipes himself with whatever he finds, even with a paper with writing on it, otherwise he remains as he is. They have intercourse with any woman who pleases them and vice versa. Sometimes one of their women goes into a barber shop and invites him to shave her pubic hair. If he wishes, he can take his fee in kind. It is their custom to shave both their moustaches and beard, some of them leave the hair on their cheeks only. They do not shave their heads nor their pubic hair. They mix their foods. Some might even put together in one dish coffee, sugar, a rack, raw eggs, limes and so on. As for the name Bonaparte, this is the title of their general. It is not a name. A general call of arms was proclaimed and the people were summoned to the entrenchments. The call was repeated time and time again. People closed their shops and markets and everyone was in an uproar. The sheikhs, the dignitaries and the common people set out with clubs and arms. The price of arms, gunpowder and bullets increased greatly. On Thursday the 28th, news arrived that the French had advanced towards Foua and then al-Rahmania. News came that on Friday the 29th, the Egyptian army had encountered that of the French, but after a short while Murad Bey and his army were routed, for they were not able to hold their ground. When Saturday morning dawned and the French reached Umm Dinar, the crowds thickened and the alarm increased, and an innumerable throng, surpassing all description, gathered at Bilak and on its outskirts and in southern and northern districts. The soldiers and the Mamluks gathered on the two banks, but they were irresolute and were at odds with one another, being divided in opinion, envious of each other, frightened for their lives, their well-being and their comforts, immersed in their ignorance and self-delusion, arrogant and haughty in their attire and presumptuousness, afraid of decreasing in number and pompous in their finery. They were unlike the other group, that is the French, who were a complete contrast in everything mentioned above. They acted as if they were following the tradition of the community of Muhammad in early Islam, and saw themselves as fighters of a holy war. They never considered the number of their enemy too high, nor did they care who among them was killed. Indeed, they considered anyone who fled a traitor to his community and an apostate to his faith and creed. They follow the orders of their commander and faithfully obey their leader. Their food and drink is but a morsel and a sip, hanging under their arms. Their only shade is the hat on their head, and their only mount their own two feet. The Egyptians went back and forth with them for about three quarters of an hour, and the rifles of the French were like a boiling pot on a fierce fire. Then the Egyptians were defeated and fled back to Algiza. Murad Bey went up to his place and attended to his affairs for about a quarter of an hour, then he rode southwards. Meanwhile, the bank of Balak had become a seething mass of people of every description, high and low. They formed into groups, chewing their fingers out of distress and sorrow because they could not cross in the absence of ferry boats. All that they were able to do was to raise cries of, O God, O God, and our sufficiency is to God and he is an excellent protector. The clamour and tumult reached such a peak that it seemed as if they were fighting a battle of noise and yells. Night fell and the inhabitants of the city were in such great confusion and a fantastic uproar. In the evening, a rumour spread among the populace that the French had crossed to Balak and had put it to the torch. The fear and terror of the populace waxed greater than ever. So the people were in great confusion and perplexity in addition to the fear and panic and alarm that possessed them. Some made up their minds to move and took counsel to this effect. Those who had the means and could find a donkey or some other beast bought at it several times its value. Some went on foot themselves whilst their wives and daughters rode. Most of the women left unveiled, carrying their children in the darkness of night, and continued in this fashion all through Sunday night and the next morning. They took with them all the money, baggage and household furnishings they could carry, but once they had left the gates of Cairo behind and were in the open countryside, the Bedouin confronted them, plundering most of them, robbing them of their possessions, their camels and their money in such great quantities as to be innumerable, so much so that without a doubt the property which left Cairo on that night was greater than that which remained in it. General Bonaparte crossed to the Cairo side and settled in the house of Mohammed Bey al-Alfi, who had built and constructed it that same year. Moreover, he had furnished it splendidly and had laid down fine carpets. The women had left, abandoning all it contained. The French entered it, stepping on the carpets with their shoes and sandals as is their custom, since they never take off their shoes with which they tread upon filth, not even when they sleep. Among their repulsive habits also is their practice of spitting and blowing their noses upon furnishings. Their etiquette, however, is such that whenever one of them blows his nose or spits, he rubs it with his shoes and so on. A number of English ships reached the port of Alexandria and fought a naval battle with the French soldiers. Several days had passed since the news spread and it had already been discussed by the people, which embarrassed the French. And it happened that the same shammy Christian merchants quoted somebody by the name of Sayyid Ahmad al-Zawi, a merchant belonging to the khan of soap merchants situated at al-Jamaliya, as having discussed this affair. So the French ordered that he be brought before them and reminded him of what he had said, but he denied it, saying, I heard it from so-and-so, the Christian, with the result that they also brought him before them and ordered that both of them have their tongues cut out, or that each one pay 100 riyal for answer. After that, the people ceased to talk about the French defeat. At the end of that month, the French began to prepare for their feast. That is because when they killed their sultan and their republic was proclaimed according to the order they invented and the rule which they created, as was mentioned before, they made that day the beginning of their calendar and a feast. This day corresponds to the autumn equinox, in which the sun enters the domicilium of Libra. They also made a structure in the shape of a great gate of latticework and wood. They covered it with a painted cloth, like the one mentioned before, and the upper part of the basket was painted in white, with drawings in black representing their soldiers fighting the Egyptians.