How the Khedive Spends His Time

The Egyptian Gazette often features descriptions of the Khedive’s activities in its issues. On the 15th of May, 1906, in particular, it outlined the activities of the Khedive for the day as well as the rest of the summer. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Egypt, the Khedive was the reigning governor of the land, who carried out both the responsibilities of being in charge of Egypt as a nation as well as diplomacy with other nations, such as Turkey, with which there had been a recent crisis (Donald M. Mckale (1997) “Influence without power: the last Khedive of Egypt and the great powers, 1914–18,” Middle Eastern Studies 33:1, 20-39). Known as the Ottoman Empire back then, Turkey played a huge role in how Egypt functioned. But an incident with the Sultan resulted in a cut in communications between the two nations. Communication between nations is crucial, as seen from the past and the present, and is paramount in resolving conflicts or delineating a nation’s state of being. However, the British soon took control of Egypt as a colony and also took it upon themselves to conquest Sudan as well (Winston S. Churchill, The River War: An Historical Account of the Reconquest of the Soudan (1899)). Towards the year 1914 and the approach of World War I, Great Britain had decided to end the Khediviate rule of Egypt and establish the Sultanate of Egypt, which would culminate with the Treaty of Peace with Turkey Signed at Lausanne, July 24, 1923.