Napoleon in Egypt: Al-Jabarti's Chronicle of the French Occupation, 1798

An Arab view of a turning point in modern history. Napoleon's conquest of Egypt in 1798 was the first contact between a Western power with imperial goals and an "ancien regime" of an African society. This chronicle offers a combination of historical narration and reflection combined with daily observations about the atmosphere in Cairo and the mood among the local population. The author resents the French invasion, ridicules their claim to be a defender of the faith, rejects their belief in liberty and equality, despises their lack of morality and personal hygiene, but approves their efficiency, common loyalty and co-operation, and wonders at their technical and scholarly abilities.