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Muhammad Ali Pasha al-Mas'ud ibn Agha (March 1769 – 2 August 1849) was an Albanian commander in the Ottoman army, who became Wāli (governor), and self-declared Khedive of Egypt and Sudan. Though not a modern nationalist, he is regarded as the founder of modern Egypt because of the dramatic reforms in the military, economic and cultural spheres that he instituted.<br/><br/> During the infighting in Egypt between the Ottomans and Mamluks between 1801 and 1805, Muhammad Ali had carefully acted to gain the support of the general public. The Mamluks still posed the greatest threat to Muhammad Ali. They had controlled Egypt for more than 600 years, and over that time they had extended their rule extensively throughout Egypt.<br/><br/> Muhammad Ali’s approach was to eliminate the Mamluk leadership, then move against the rank and file. On March 1, 1811, Muhammad Ali invited the Mamluk leaders to a celebration held at the Cairo Citadel in honor of his son, Tusun, who was being appointed to lead a military expedition into Arabia. When the Mamluks arrived, they were trapped and killed. After the leaders were killed, Muhammad Ali dispatched his army throughout Egypt to rout the remainder of the Mamluk forces. Mohammad Ali came to rule Levantine territories outside Egypt. The Alawiyya dynasty that he established would rule Egypt and Sudan until the Egyptian Revolution of 1952.