Sultanate of Mit Ghamr

Sultanate of Mit Ghamr سلطنة ميت غمر (Arabic)
1919–1919
Anthem: The Freedom
Status	Unrecognized state
Capital	Mit Ghamr
Common languages	Arabic
Religion	Islam
Government	Sultanate
• Sultan	Ahmed Bey Abdo
Historical era	Interwar period
• Established	1919
• Disestablished	1919
Preceded by Succeeded by Sultanate of Egypt British Empire Sultanate of Egypt British Empire
Today part of	Egypt

The Sultanate of Mit Ghamr (Arabic: سلطنة ميت غمر, Salṭanat Mīt Ghamr) was a sultanate declared by the city of Mit Ghamr in the Dakahlia Governorate following its declaration of independence from the Egyptian Sultanate, which was under British occupation during the 1919 Egyptian revolution. Ahmed Bey Abdo was installed as its sultan, and the sultanate lasted for two weeks. The Sultanate of Mit Ghamr is considered one of the independence movements that arose in Egypt during this period, along with the Republic of Zefta, the Kingdom of Faraskur, and the Empire of Minya.

Background

Further information: History of Egypt under the British

In 1882, Britain occupied Egypt under the pretext of protecting its interests after Egypt failed to repay debts that began under Sa'id Pasha and worsened under Isma'il Pasha. In 1914, Britain deposed Abbas II and appointed Hussein Kamel as an independent Sultan under British protection, ending the Egyptian Khedivate, which had been under Ottoman control. The new government and subsequent administrations consisted of weak or fully pro-British figures. This led local populations in several cities to establish their own self-governing administrations to resist British rule. These separatist governments were part of a wider popular uprising movement, especially following the exile of Saad Zaghlul and his colleagues to Malta in 1919.

The Rise of an Independent Sultanate

A report in the British journal The Near East, concerning the wave of unrest in Egypt following the exile of Saad Zaghlul and his companions, stated that Mit Ghamr was among the cities experiencing unrest and that it had declared its independence.

Following the 1919 revolution, the city of Mit Ghamr declared its independence from the Egyptian Sultanate, then ruled by Sultan Fuad I, and formed a political entity known as the "Sultanate of Mit Ghamr." Ahmed Bey Abdo was chosen as its sultan, and students from secondary and higher schools who had not been arrested, along with a number of workers, were appointed to the National Guard, while a local government was formed from notables. During this period, the city's district officer, Omar Bey Wahbi, and his men remained in their homes.

Events at the Beginning of Independence

The First Demonstrations

The city witnessed daily demonstrations, the first of which was led by lawyers Mahmoud Hosni and Andrawes Rizk, and agricultural engineer Saad Youssef Saad, in front of the district building. During the demonstration, one of the participants began chanting "Long live independence!" and the crowds followed suit. The leaders of the demonstration mounted their horses and paraded through the city streets. The city streets witnessed demonstrations in which Muslims and Christians participated together. The aim of the demonstrations was to strengthen national unity among Egyptians of different sects and foreigners residing in Mit Ghamr, at a time when sectarian tensions had persisted since 1910, following Ibrahim al-Wardani's assassination of Prime Minister Boutros Ghali Pasha, in addition to the Coptic Congress in Assiut and its counterpart, the Islamic Congress in Heliopolis in 1911, and other events. Later, students from Mit Ghamr learned that a group of their fellow townsmen were on a boat bound for Mansoura. They waited for them, singing the "Anthem of Freedom," which begins:

"Messenger of peace to Egypt,

Spread goodness for us in the East,

Scatter flowers for us in the streets,

Nay, let the world rejoice with glad tidings."

Workers' Participation

Workers from the Mit Ghamr Locomotive and Vehicle Repair Center, which employed around 500 workers, joined the demonstrations after going on strike due to the mistreatment they received from the British commander. Despite the British manager's threat of dismissal, they continued their strike. Part of the center had been converted into a war production facility for the British armies in the Middle East during World War I, where the workers manufactured hand grenades for the British forces. They later joined the demonstrations with the crowds. Before each demonstration, a message was addressed to the crowd, emphasizing the national character of the protest and warning against any sectarian or racist behavior, which would be considered a betrayal of the movement.  After each demonstration, a preparatory meeting for the next demonstration was held in Al-Ghamri Mosque and a Coptic church, to ensure coordination among the participants.

Workers' activity and railway work

Aryan Youssef Saad

The residents gathered in one of the churches. After the sheikh of the Al-Ghamri Mosque delivered a sermon and embraced the priest, the priest then gave his own sermon. Following this, nineteen-year-old Coptic medical student Aryan Youssef Saad addressed the congregation, stating that their marches through the streets of Mit Ghamr were futile, that the threat of British soldiers and their occupation of the city remained, and that if they came, they would arrive by train. Therefore, the demonstrations should be transformed into action to prevent the British from entering the city by cutting the railway. His speech concluded with applause from all those present and chants of support for Egypt, Saad Zaghlul, and freedom. At midnight, workshop workers, led by Aryan Youssef Saad, began cutting railway tracks along a stretch of about 8 kilometers from the city, starting from the village of Mit Al-Qurashi, throwing each track into a nearby field. This process was repeated, with the tracks being removed one by one until the first light of dawn appeared. The following night, the same operation was carried out again.

Australian Patrol Report

Report of the Australian patrol in Mit Ghamr

On March 21, 1919, an Australian patrol departed Zagazig at 5:15 a.m. and arrived at the workshops on the eastern side of Mit Ghamr around 12:00 p.m. Their objective was to assess the situation following escalating unrest in the area. The patrol found a British officer and eighteen other officers, along with technicians working in the military workshops and some foreign workers, both English and Greek. The British officer reported a state of extreme anxiety in and around Mit Ghamr, where hostile demonstrations had taken place. These demonstrations had culminated in the complete destruction of three carriages from the workshops, as well as damage to telegraph lines and the perimeter fences. Upon the patrol's arrival, several Turkish flags were observed being lowered from buildings within the city. On the morning of March 22, the patrol departed Mit Ghamr by train, and Turkish flags were again observed flying in the town.  The report concluded by stating the need to send a strong force to the area to establish rules regulating the behavior of the population and to enforce obedience, with the aim of quelling the unrest in Mit Ghamr.

Mit al-Qurashi massacre

When the British train reached the village of Mit al-Qurashi on its way to Mit Ghamr on March 23, the soldiers were surprised to find a cut in the railway track. Believing the train to be under ambush, they opened fire on a funeral procession heading from the village to the cemetery. The incident resulted in eighteen deaths. At noon, a guard from Mit al-Qurashi arrived in Mit Ghamr and reported the incident to the police station. The station doctor and the district officer traveled to the village by car, and the doctor authorized the burial of the dead. The villagers did not attempt to block the railway again. The British military authorities, in their official report, indicated that Mit Ghamr, along with Zefta and Mit al-Qurashi, remained a center of rebellion and unrest.

The End of the Sultanate

Arrival of British Forces

On March 24, a contingent of 300 New Zealand cavalry arrived on horseback, led by Mr. Shepheard, the Ministry of Agriculture inspector in Zagazig. He was directing the contingent's colonel to the city. Upon their arrival, the National Guard disappeared, and the district officer returned to his office.  Mr. Shepheard demanded a list of names of the self-governing government from the district officer. However, Officer Omar Bey Wahbi, a staunch supporter of the Sultanate, denied the reports of independence, explaining that he owed his position to the notables who had helped him maintain security and stability in the city. Nevertheless, Mr. Shepheard insisted on the arrest of a lawyer and a young student for participating in the demonstrations. This insistence came after local spies had informed the authorities about the independence movement and the National Guard. The two men were taken to the main occupation camp in Zagazig. At the end of the conversation, after Mr. Shepheard failed to compel Officer Omar Bey to write a report listing the names of the workers, students, and notables who had usurped power from him, Shepheard insulted him in colloquial Arabic, saying, "You're a worthless officer!" Official reports were prepared stating that Mit Ghamr had established an independent self-government and begun levying taxes. These reports reached the authorities by March 26th.

Occupation of the City

Shepheard's forces occupied the Mit Ghamr railway station, making it the colonel's headquarters. Machine guns were mounted on the rooftops, and tents were pitched near the station by the market. Strict restrictions on movement were imposed; no one was allowed to enter or leave the city without the commander's personal permission. With these measures, the independent sultanate ended two weeks after its proclamation.

Aftermath

The strike and the founding of the secret society

After permits were imposed for entering or leaving the city, some of the resident farmers approached Mr. Shepheard to request permits for their horse-drawn carts to travel to their lands in the neighboring villages. Shepheard refused their request and told them to use camels instead. However, the interpreter, Aryan Youssef Saad, explained that these were elderly men, none of whom had ever ridden a camel, and that the carts posed no security threat. Shepheard remained firm in his refusal, and the farmers returned home. Subsequently, the city's employees and lawyers went on a general strike, with the exception of one employee: the Public Prosecutor's secretary. Following this, some of the city's residents formed a secret society whose aim was to assassinate or threaten British officers and commanders residing in Mit Ghamr, or Egyptians loyal to them. The lawyer Mahmoud Hosni assumed leadership of this society. Their first operation targeted the Public Prosecutor's secretary, who had refused to participate in the strike.

The fall of society

Mahmoud Hosni ordered his followers to keep an eye on the man. That night, as he was returning home, three members of the society surrounded him. One of them placed the muzzle of a pistol against his chest, saying, "We don't want the first blood spilled in Mit Ghamr to be Egyptian blood. This is a warning to you: if you don't stand with your colleagues, your blood will be on your own head!"

The secretary trembled and promised not to disobey his colleagues again. The men then left him and went away. Fear gripped the residents of Mit Ghamr, as rumors spread that the "Black Hand Society" had established a branch in the city. However, the local members felt weak due to their lack of weapons and their complete disconnection from the parent organization in Cairo. Therefore, one of the members traveled to Cairo, attempting to contact its leadership and request support in the form of weapons and bombs. The man returned from Cairo with a promise, relayed by a law student who was a member of the society there, that they would provide fast motorcycles equipped with a concealed compartment for a German-made pistol capable of hitting a target from a distance of a thousand meters.  However, time passed without those promises being fulfilled, and the society remained without real support.