Umar Makram bin Hussien al-Sayouti ( ar, عمر مكرم بن حسين السيوطي) (1750-1822) was an Egyptian political leader at the time of the 1798 French invasion and in the subsequent political disorders.

Biography

Omar Makram Statue near Omar Makram Mosque - Tahrir square - Cairo

Makram was born in 1750 in

Asyut AsyutAlso spelled ''Assiout'' or ''Assiut'' ( ar, أسيوط ' , from ' ) is the capital of the modern Asyut Governorate in Egypt. It was built close to the ancient city of the same name, which is situated nearby. The modern city is located at ...

. He was educated at Al-Azhar University, and became a leader of the nobles of Egypt and an Egyptian national figure. He was prominent in leading Egyptian resistance to the 1798 invasion of Egypt by France (led by

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

). After the French withdrew from Egypt in 1801, a power struggle ensued between the Mamluks,

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

and the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

, and Egypt was nominally restored to the

. Makram allied with Muhammed Ali, the commander of the

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

n troops within the army sent by the Empire to restore order. In May 1805, Egyptians led by Makram forced the Ottoman Sultan at the time, Selim III to replace the

Wali A wali (''wali'' ar, وَلِيّ, '; plural , '), the Arabic word which has been variously translated "master", "authority", "custodian", "protector", is most commonly used by Muslims to indicate an Islamic saint, otherwise referred to by the ...

Ahmed Khurshid Pasha with Muhammed Ali. Britain disagreed with this decision and attempted to invade Egypt in the Alexandria expedition of 1807. Makram soon discovered that Muhammed Ali planned to rule Egypt by himself, Makram objected to a foreign ruler. Muhammed Ali exiled Makram to

Damietta Damietta ( arz, دمياط ' ; cop, ⲧⲁⲙⲓⲁϯ, Tamiati) is a port city and the capital of the Damietta Governorate in Egypt, a former bishopric and present multiple Catholic titular see. It is located at the Damietta branch, an easter ...

on 9 August 1809, where he stayed for four years. Makram then moved to

Tanta Tanta ( ar, طنطا ' , ) is a city in Egypt with the country's fifth largest populated area and 658,798 inhabitants as of 2018. Tanta is located between Cairo and Alexandria: north of Cairo and southeast of Alexandria. The capital of Gharbia ...

, where he died in 1822.

Legacy

A mosque named for him and designed by Mario Rossi stands in Tahrir Square in

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the Capital city, capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, List of ...

. An exhibition on his life was recently celebrated at

the Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

in Paris, France.

External links

Omar Makram
{{DEFAULTSORT:Makram, Umar People from Asyut 18th-century Egyptian people Al-Azhar University alumni 1750 births 1822 deaths People from Asyut Governorate Egyptian revolutionaries Egyptian nationalists African revolutionaries