Citadel Massacre of Cairo

Background. Muhammad Ali rose to power through a series of political maneuvers, and in 1805 he was named Wāli (governor) of Egypt and gained the rank of Pasha. His approach was to eliminate the Mamluk leadership, then move against the rank and file. He invited the Mamluk leaders to a celebration at the Cairo Citadel in honour of his son, Tusun Pasha, who was to lead a military expedition into Arabia. The remaining Mamluk class still formed the country's elites.

The Massacre. On 1 March 1811, Muhammad Ali invited the leading Mamluks to a celebration at the Citadel. As the Mamluks gathered, they were surrounded by Muhammad Ali's troops. When they attempted to leave, regiments of Albanian gunmen opened fire from above, massacring all the Mamluk leaders present. This violent coup eliminated the remaining Mamluk class.