Abbas I. von Ägypten / Abbas Pascha I

Abbas Pasha I was a ruler of Egypt from 1848 to 1854. Some people consider his reign to be a time when progress and development stopped, compared to the time of his grandfather, Muhammad Ali Pasha. Abbas Pasha I was part of the Ottoman dynasty ruling Egypt at that time. His grandfather Mohammed Ali took some care in preparing him for ruling as he was the oldest member of the family and therefore entitled to rule after his uncle Ibrahim Pasha. He was entrusted with administrative and military positions, such as the Director of the West and the Katkhadeeya which was equivalent to a governor. He did not have the same gentle approach as his grandfather and his actions showed a harsh nature. His grandfather would advise him and warn him about the consequences of his actions, but his own nature often overruled his grandfather's advice and orders.

He ruled for five and a half years, during which he lived a strange and isolated life. He often acted harshly towards others and had a suspicious nature, which led him to seek solitude within the walls of his palaces. He built his palaces in remote or desert areas, such as the famous one in Cairo that was named after him. His palaces were massive and extravagant, with one having 2000 windows. It was as if he built a city for himself in the desert. He also built another palace in a remote location in Dar Al-Bayda, which still stands today. He had a palace in Benha on the banks of the Nile, where he was eventually killed. There was a man who wrongly suspected his family members and many others around him, thinking they were plotting against him. This caused him to treat them poorly and some even feared for their lives, so they left for other places. The man's hatred towards those he targeted grew so strong that he even tried to kill his aunt. 

The animosity between them escalated, leading his aunt to flee out of fear. He also tried to change the system of inheritance to make his son the ruler instead of his uncle, but he failed. He blamed his uncle for conspiring against him and their feud continued until he was forced to move to Alexandria and live in a palace there. In his time, spying became very widespread and scary. People couldn't trust even their friends and were sent away to Sudan if they angered him. Being sent away to far-off Sudan was a common punishment back then. He loved riding horses and camels, traveling long distances in the desert. He also had a passion for collecting and caring for expensive horses, bringing them from different countries and building them huge stables with great care. He was assassinated in his palace in Benha, and his uncle Muhammad Said Pasha was behind it.