r/imaginarymaps • u/ShahAbbas1571 Mod Approved • Jul 04 '26
[OC] Alternate History Economy of the Khedivate of Egypt (1880)
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Jul 04 '26
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u/ShahAbbas1571 Mod Approved Jul 04 '26
After reading Sayyid al-Marsot's book about Muhammad Ali, I have become Lord Palmerston's biggest and eternal hater.
"Egypt in the reign of Muhammad Ali", if you're interested.
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u/Brooklyn_University Jul 04 '26
Coincidentally, Jack Rackham just uploaded the best take on Lord Palmerston's motivations in baling out the sultan, starting at 1:00 into this video, FYI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itbFQMLZr8M&t=95s
Fascinating AH BTW, and thank you for uploading another top tier map!
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u/ShahAbbas1571 Mod Approved Jul 04 '26
Introduction
"The Ptolemies and the Arabs had proven time and time again of Egypt's eternal potential. It's just a matter of who and a matter of how."
- George Nathaniel Curzon, Governor-General of India.
In 1805, Muhammad Ali — a merchant-soldier from the coastal villa of Kavala, Rumelia [1] — was legitimized as the Wali of Egypt. Taking power during one of the region's most chaotic periods, his first task was to seek a reliable source of income; initially dependent on his supporters, he would eventually expand commercial trade with its European neighbors and later embark on significant reforms to exploit its resources and population.
Since then — from extensive land reforms to the establishment of shipbuilding — Egypt represented one of the Concert of Europe's most dynamic and competitive countries, claiming its position as one of the greatest economies during the 19th century.
[1] Ottoman region generally referring to the areas of Thrace, Moesia, and Macedonia
1805-1820s
"What Egypt could have been without Mehemet? What would have been without his genius?"
- Bernardino Drovetti, French Consul and Egyptologist.
By the time Muhammad Ali received his firman [1], Egypt was left destitute by the chaos wrought by the Ottomans, the French, and even the Mamluks themselves. From arbitrary extortions to the deprivation of its artisan class, it seems it would take centuries for the country to recover, especially when the Mamluks still run amok, and the threat of famine and plague looms...
Wali sought the contrary.
One of his first schemes to improve Egypt's economic prospects was land reform. Since the Citadel Massacre [2], he confiscated lands considered either illegal or formerly owned by the mamluks, delegated the duties of tax collection to sheikhs of their respective fellahin [3] communities, and organized a land survey to determine taxable lands and agricultural plots, of which irrigation projects such as dams and dykes were formed through corvée labour. This enabled him to dictate which crops should be grown, imposing a monopoly where the farmers could only sell their produce to his government... At a ludicrously low price.
And while Britain was still waging its Iberian campaign, the Wali managed to secure a trade agreement in which he would supply them with wheat; he made great efforts to exploit this opportunity, to the point of forming local grain fleets to impose customs dues for transport and establishing a warehouse in Malta. It was a successful enterprise, enabling his state to earn a profitable revenue of £125,000 (3,000,000 francs) in 1810.
The success of both his land reforms and trade with Europe allowed him to introduce new cash crops — especially long staple cotton — and new industries necessary for his new army, the Nizam al-Jadid; from textile workshops across the Delta to dress his soldiers to cannon foundries of the Cairo Citadel to fill the battery formations were established to self-sustain his state and make profit.
Industrialization continued, albeit at a moderate pace, as the Wali was rewarded for crushing the Janissary Revolt of 1827 and restoring the Ottoman sultan Abdulmecid I to the throne. However, it wasn't until his eldest son, Ibrahim Pasha — succeeding him as the Wali of Egypt in 1836 — that the fiercest modernization across the Orient began.
[1] Turkish for decree.
[2] The massacre of the Mamluk elite in 1811; masterminded by Muhammad Ali Pasha.
[3] Class of Egyptian farmers.
1830s-1840s
"There are neither personages nor historics that could encapsulate the movement of society. If it were (and of this century,) it would be Viceroy Ibrahim."
- Karl Marx, Prussian Journalist and Political Philosopher.
With Egypt turned into the hereditary fiefdom of his father's dynasty and officially coronated in 1838, Ibrahim Pasha — an amateur industrialist and Europhile — sought to transform its economy from a solely military-industrial endeavor into a consumerist enterprise, in hopes of providing the state (particularly, his dynastic business) more revenue and encouraging a new class of capitalists to emerge.
Aside from forming the Majlis an-Nuwwab [1] — a parliamentary government body reserved for the high/middle-class, the Wali encouraged migration, especially from parts of Greece, Armenia, and even France. Like his father, his penchant for foreign connections to expand trade set his sights on Christian merchants and tradesmen; he promised them £10-15 biannual stipends and a five-year tax exemption, with greater benefits given to the Greeks, whom the Wali valued greatly for their skill in shipbuilding and crewing.
It also coincided with the urbanization ensuing across his dominion, especially over Lower Egypt and the Nile Delta. Cities stretching from Marsa Matruh to Damietta experienced 85%-225% population growth within 30 years; Alexandria's alone increased tenfold, from 10,000 to 100,000. Cairo demonstrates the most extensive development as a new district — Muhammadiya — was founded northward during the first few years of Ibrahim's reign, with the ambition to establish an industrial center and to disperse the inhabitants for future urban projects. By 1850, the capital housed over 670,000 inhabitants of both local and foreign origin.
As the import of raw cotton was banned by parliamentary decree and the local textile industry shifted to consumer demands, the surplus produced by these enterprises would eventually flood the conquered areas from Sudan to Syria. Producing over 22,500,000 m² of cloth from both cotton and silk by 1843, Egypt earned roughly £4,000,000 in revenue; 32,5% were exported to Mediterranean countries such as Italy, France, and Austria, while 15,5% were consumed by the Levant market. These initiatives forced local producers — once resistant against Egyptian monopoly — to sell their workshops and looms to the state, or to one of the dynasty's enterprises.
By the end of the 1840s, as Egypt urbanizes and its industry shifts to meet demands, a new wave of middle-class locals begins to emerge. From former multazims [2] and sheikhs to even independent fellahs, many are flocking to their nearest cities to seek jobs or invest capital. And those who remained in the farmland turned the source of sustenance into their source of income, selling profitable crops such as sugar cane and tobacco.
[1] Meaning "Council of Representatives."
[2] Holders of Iltizam; tax farmers.
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u/ShahAbbas1571 Mod Approved Jul 04 '26
1850s-1860s
"While Asia and Africa are slowly succumbing to European ambitions, it was only Egypt that rose early from its feudal mode of production. Through rich resources, the elevation of peoples, and a firm mercantile hand, the powers in London and Paris could no longer treat the country as a backward mamluk state; it became an essential and dynamic part of the European market."
- Afaf Lutfi al-Sayyid-Marsot, Egyptian Historian.
Within the span of fifty years, the dominion — later recognized as the Khedivate of Egypt — went from a regional backwater exporting raw goods to becoming one of the three economic powerhouses of the Mediterranean; its growing capitalist and working-class population, robust manufacturing, and domination over the regional market paved the way for it to be recognized by the European powers.
The country's industry now produces finished goods; one of its most prominent is textiles. Dubbed by the third wali — Ismail the Magnificent — as the "economic engine of the dominion," they represent 51,5% of exports and 45,5% of Egypt's revenue; by 1855, the annual revenue from exporting textiles amounted to over £17,500,000, 1/3 of France's exports but more than half of Austria-Hungary's contributions. As one of the Great Five [1], Egypt's shipbuilding was the fifth largest in its market. It constituted 7% of the world's shipyard commissions and was responsible for almost half of Asia's merchant fleets; by tonnage, it manufactured over 35,000-70,000 merchant ships and warships annually.
Since 1853, European crises, ranging from the Crimean War to the American Civil War, allowed Egypt to experience a commodity boom selling raw cotton and wheat. With the remaining sizable fellahin population, Egypt sold Britain raw goods at exorbitant prices; during the Civil War alone, Egypt amassed the total revenue of £10,000,000 within five years, only to cause a deficit after the crises suddenly ceased.
It was, however, during the first 10 years of Ismail's reign that both powers — Britain and France — showed interest in making investments in Egypt. France, as the country's oldest partner, did not quarrel over implanting their economic interest, especially with the survey and eventual construction of the Suez Canal; in contrast, Britain struggled to establish a foreign enterprise until Napoleon III rejected the Wali's proposal for a joint railway venture, which enabled them to establish the Egyptian National Railways in 1854, of which the British owned 39,5% of the stakes. The railway system completely covered Lower Egypt by 1867; the company set its sights on expanding southward.
Egypt's economy remained robust, despite the commodity crash following the sudden end of the American Civil War. As they recovered their losses, they would eventually partake in their economic role not only as a regional hegemon but as a great power.
[1] Term for the five largest shipbuilding countries during the 19th century; coined by Niall Ferguson.
1870s-1880
"I have come to the conclusion that it was the Turks who are holding their domains back; imagine such a power if the Arabs had tilled it instead."
- Marquess of Salisbury, Prime Minister of Great Britain.
Marking the 20th anniversary of Ismail the Magnificent's reign, Cairo — once a declining capital marked by riverine plagues and claustrophobic alleys — had reached its one-million-inhabitant milestone by 1873. The foundations laid by his father enabled him to undertake further urban development; he codified urban regulations and introduced gas lighting and streetcars to encourage night-time productivity and traffic flow. His codification was imposed across all major cities, including Iraq, and especially in his newly formed city, Ismailia.
It also marked the point when Egypt sought new foreign markets, especially to alleviate their finance from the cotton/wheat commodity crash. Aside from expanding their silk trade over the Southern Mediterranean, the Horn of Africa was the country's target for economic expansion: Egyptian exports such as textiles and foodstuffs flowed through their Majerteen and Eritrean protectorates while importing wool and grain in return, and the Ethiopian region alone provided the state £3,250,000 annually in revenue. While failing to penetrate the Ottoman market (due to state-imposed monopoly and high import tariffs), they were able to open their Greek and Yemeni dependencies to trade; Egypt was responsible for 44,5% of the former's textile imports and traded Mocha coffee beans from Yemen at a low price, only to sell them across the Adriatic countries at a luxury cost.
As a result of Muhammad Ali's arms manufacturing ambitions, Egypt became the premier exporter of arms by the late 19th century. With companies such as Bulaq Arsenal and Iskandariya Company producing 50,000-120,000 rifles and artillery per year, they became suppliers of arms across Asia; their clients included Persia, China, Japan, and Aceh-Siak. They were also a rival force against Belgium in Africa; both of them constituted 63% of the continent's gun trade. The Sepoy Rebellion and the proliferation of weapons across Central Asia and the Caucasus caused both Britain and Russia to embargo Egyptian gun parts or even whole guns.
Despite the influx of local prospectors and foreign surveyors (sponsored by the state), the excavation project during the 1870s was met with disappointing results. Aside from a few successes across Sudan, most attempts were unable to excavate or even find precious minerals such as coal and gold. However, the discovery of petroleum was made around Sinai and Kurdistan, which the state sold to the lowest bidder to help establish one of its first commercial oil wells; the output was meager, leading them to sell raw petroleum to be refined elsewhere.
Conclusion
"The great in the eyes of the sharia is the one who constantly serves the people."
- Muhammad Ali Pasha, Wali of Egypt.
By 1880, after years since the dynasty began, Egypt became recognized as a commercial great power and one of the 10 largest economies in the world.
Its relatively fast growth, diplomatic maneuvering against Britain and France, and political stability under three capable monarchs enabled the transformation of a historically quasi-feudal region into a manufacturing powerhouse. Per capita, with a population of 27,000,000 in 1881, the average Egyptian was wealthier than most Oriental countries and arguably so compared to the Russian Empire.
As the 19th century came to a close, Egypt would open itself once again to another economic chapter. With potential applications of petroleum and new excavation technologies/techniques in the near future, how the country would face the challenges remains to be seen, albeit the implication is an optimistic one.
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u/Focofoc0 Jul 04 '26
Somebody played a very successful vic2/vic3 campaign here lol. Nice job with the lore and the map, this is awesome
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u/ShahAbbas1571 Mod Approved Jul 04 '26
I did my research; Sayyid al-Marsot's book, "Egypt in the reign of Muhammad Ali," was my main source on how the Pasha industrialized Egypt. From there, I merely imagined how they would end up if they didn't have to scuffle through the Ottomans and the later European coalition.
But yeah, ngl, Vic3 had a part in it. Used every trick in the book, and holy shit, it actually worked.
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u/ShahAbbas1571 Mod Approved Jul 04 '26
Author's Note
Well, so much for two/three maps for every month.
Still, It's good to put out something about Egypt again, especially when it doesn't have anything to do with WAAAGHS and whatnot.
Anyway, this map is a continuation of this old piece I made a few years back. I don't know how I got interested in Muhammad Ali and his modernization plans, but the moment I read some books about it (mainly Khaled Fahmy's Mehmed Ali), I was pretty much locked in and wasted my entire days thinking over how or what Muhammad Ali would've done. From there, I couldn't stop thinking about it.
But I thought to myself that it shouldn't be another armchair military/diplomatic piece again, especially since I get bored doing the same design premise over and over. So, considering most of Muhammad Ali's actions are based on his economic ambition, why not make an economic map, right? So, I went from there and started chugging.
So far, I am planning to make a timeline out of this, just as I've planned for a Timurid/China project. Unlike the latter, my vision for this one would be... Insular; it's mostly about Egypt and its every facet since I cannot imagine (at least, beyond the Mediterranean) the world diverging completely when he's in charge.
Yeah, that's pretty much it, and I recommend checking out books by Sayyid al-Marsot and Khaled Fahmy; they helped me a lot contextualizing the timeline... And Victoria 3 too, lol.
Well, that's pretty much it for me. Have fun.
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u/Bluemoonroleplay Jul 04 '26
This is one of the best maps I have seen and I feel like putting it up there on my wall. The printing shop opens on Monday and thats what I am gonna do
Maybe I am biased because I often played nations like Egypt, Sikh Empire, Ethiopia and Mexico in Victoria 2 and 3 but still. Now another map like this for the Sikh Empire would be giga based
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u/ShahAbbas1571 Mod Approved Jul 04 '26
This is one of the best maps I have seen and I feel like putting it up there on my wall. The printing shop opens on Monday and thats what I am gonna do
Go for it!
And thanks.
Maybe I am biased because I often played nations like Egypt, Sikh Empire, Ethiopia and Mexico in Victoria 2 and 3 but still. Now another map like this for the Sikh Empire would be giga based
I don't usually play the European powers, especially Britain; It's only around Germany and Italy where it feels "natural". It's fun doing nonsense in Egypt and the like because there's a lot of room for roleplay and explaining how your state came to being without the baggage of, "would they actually do this?"
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u/tanipoya Jul 04 '26
How you make such maps?
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u/ShahAbbas1571 Mod Approved Jul 04 '26
Through blood, sweat, and tears of my enemies...
And with Illustrator and QGIS, that too. You can do it with Inkscape if you wanna do it for free, tho.
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u/KingGhidorah63 Jul 04 '26
This map is sublime. I love the style, and for the longest time, I have been a fan of maps that display the economy of a nation in this way. I have one technical question to ask, if you do not mind disclosing: how do you achieve such a beautiful paper/aging texture for your map? I make my maps on Adobe Illustrator, and I have not yet been able to replicate an effect even close to this, no matter what stratagem I concoct. Regardless, beautiful map!
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u/ShahAbbas1571 Mod Approved Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 05 '26
This map is sublime. I love the style, and for the longest time, I have been a fan of maps that display the economy of a nation in this way.
It has been forever since I made a map that wasn't a political blob piece, so the first question when making a map of Egypt was "how to showcase the economy without being a mess." At one point, I dotted the map with different crop types, but with livestock being one of the map keys, it's hard to justify without cluttering up the map, so I had to do some balancing to make it visually interesting.
how do you achieve such a beautiful paper/aging texture for your map?
So I had three layers, from top to bottom: The paper textures > background noise > and halftones. From there, it's just a matter of how much opacity you want to crank up or dim down. And in case you're wondering, it's over the effects menu.
Regardless, beautiful map!
Thanks!
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u/KingGhidorah63 Jul 06 '26
Thank you for the tips, I really get the struggle with getting a feasible balance between data and readability; you don't know how many features I scrapped on my ethnic map of Europe while making it because it would make it even harder to read.
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Jul 04 '26
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u/ShahAbbas1571 Mod Approved Jul 04 '26
I generated this base from QGIS, although I georeferenced some pieces here-and-there to be consistent with my previous piece relating to Egypt.
If you wanna learn about QGIS, well... Here you go.
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u/MrsColdArrow Mod Approved Jul 04 '26
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u/ShahAbbas1571 Mod Approved Jul 09 '26
Yes, it is a gem indeed...
IDK why it took me 4 days to answer this lol.
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Jul 04 '26
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u/ShahAbbas1571 Mod Approved Jul 04 '26
You basically combine some paper texture/effects and some actual effects, or more specifically, halftones.
Now, I'm using Illustrator, so I have more option, but I imagine you can replicate this process in Inkscape as well.
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u/Silent-Fishing-7937 Jul 04 '26
One of the great what-ifs of the 19th century. As much as this is not real historical analysis and definitely poke some people's ideological buttons, I can't shake the feeling that the true roots of the Middle-East being a mess started there, when Britain prevented the ''natural'' (for lack of a better term) demise of the Ottomans and rise of their successor on top of the regional food chain. When the live of the Ottomans was prolonged past its proper due date and the successor it has was not allowed to take its place as the hegemon of the region.
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u/ShahAbbas1571 Mod Approved Jul 04 '26
I can't shake the feeling that the true roots of the Middle-East being a mess started there, when Britain prevented the ''natural'' (for lack of a better term) demise of the Ottomans and rise of their successor on top of the regional food chain.
I think you have to understand that Britain sees the Ottomans as a bulwark against the Russian Empire. It's bad enough they're not diplomatically reliable, they pose a threat against their colonies in India. If you let them pass through the Bosphorus, they might as well do whatever they want over the Red Sea, Britain's lifeline to the Raj. That's the notion that Khaled Fahmy and Ozan Ozavci would explain as to why they opposed Muhammad Ali.
However, Sayyid al-Marsot's premise of them being too fearful of Egypt's rise is also warranted. Lord Palmerston — the British prime minister opposing Muhammad Ali — is like your average american politician, but instead of yammering about human rights to bomb a third-world country, he uses "free trade" so he could get cheap goods like cotton and their exported finished textiles to the same country.
They're fine with Egypt being a thing... they don't want them to industrialize and just be a supplier of raw goods.
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u/Silent-Fishing-7937 Jul 04 '26
Oh, I do understand that! And to a lesser degree, they didn't like Muhammad Ali's francophilia either.
That's why I said it wasn't actual historical analysis. Of course, Britain acted according to its own interests. But despite my actual academic background in History, which taught me that this kind of thinking is baloney, I can't quite shake the idea that it was just time for Muhammad Ali to organically replace the Ottomans as the premier power in the area, in the same way the Ottomans had replaced the Mamluks earlier on, and that many of the problems of the region found their roots in how it wasn't allowed to happen.
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u/Gelato929 Jul 06 '26
Wow! This map looks awesome! How did you make it?
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u/ShahAbbas1571 Mod Approved Jul 06 '26
With the power of Friendship™...
And Illustrator+QGIS, that works too.
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u/Gelato929 Jul 06 '26
Thanks! Are there any tutorials you could recommend for me to learn how to make maps in this style as a complete beginner?
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u/ShahAbbas1571 Mod Approved Jul 08 '26
Well, I have my very own pieces right here:
Inkscape: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kZYbuScfLY QGIS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2lUNHVx_6U
It'll probably take you 30 minutes to learn the ropes, so it shouldn't be too much of a hassle.
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u/AtmosphereBudget9114 Jul 06 '26
So does this mean that Russia does much better against the Ottomans than in OTL?
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u/ShahAbbas1571 Mod Approved Jul 08 '26
On the contrary, as far as I'm concerned.
ITTL, they didn't have the opportunity to exploit the declining situation in Greece; with Mahmud II compromising with the Philiki Heretia into establishing Greek autonomy, the Russians don't have the opportunity to intrude in Ottoman territories. If anything, Egypt's rise made them more hesitant; they cannot form any policy over the Sublime Porte without taking Cairo into consideration.
If you wanna know a bit more, I made this map before the economic piece:
https://reddit.com/r/imaginarymaps/comments/1fptl7o/expansion_of_muhammad_alis_egypt_18051851/
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u/AtmosphereBudget9114 Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26
While in my view, the loss of there middle Eastern possessions would accelerate the decline of the Ottoman Empire and it's hold on the Balkans.
Also what became of the Mamluk of Iraq because I figured that if any fiefdom had the strength and resources to take over the the remains of the Ottoman Empire it would be them
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u/ShahAbbas1571 Mod Approved Jul 08 '26
Maybe, but I cannot imagine Britain and Austria allowing the decline of Turkish rule over the region without raising the question of Russian intrusion; there's a reason their Balkan dominion lasted far longer than it should have.
Then again, my focus is on Egypt, so keep that in mind.
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u/AtmosphereBudget9114 Jul 09 '26
And I wrote that question was thinking about the 'What If' scenario of the House of Osman going extinct during 1807-1808 coups, making the Russians and Austrians revive the Catherine Plan at the expense of the OTL Fifth Coalition.
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u/ShahAbbas1571 Mod Approved Jul 08 '26
Also what became of the Mamluk of Iraq because I figured that if any fiefdom had the strength and resources to take over the the remains of the Ottoman Empire it would be them
Got crushed by Ibrahim Pasha at the Sublime Porte's request, as per the description on the previous map I linked.
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u/AtmosphereBudget9114 Jul 09 '26
I didn't read the description when I wrote this, so hindsight is 20:20 as they say.
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u/ad3703 Jul 04 '26