ABDEL KADIR HILMY PASHA

Abdel Kadir Hilmy Pasha (1837-1908), was born in Homs, Syria when it was occupied by the Egyptian forces under the leadership of Mohamed Aly during the thirties of the nineteenth century. His father, who was called Osman Samy was one of the officers in action in those forces while his mother was of Syrian origin belonging to one of the ancient wealthy Syrian families.

PHOTO CAPTION: Abdel Kadir Hilmy Pasha. SOURCE: EA Library

After the Egyptians’ withdrawal from Syria, he went to Egypt with his father and started to be educated in Egyptian schools. Not long before he was sent in 1851 on an academic mission to Vienna, the capital of Austria, to study Medicine. However, despite having completed his studies in that field, he changed his career on his return to Egypt, preferring to join the Engineering Corps as a student again.

In 1856, he became a lieutenant; and since he was a favourite of both governors Said Parsha and Ismail Pasha; he was rapidly promoted till he became a lieutenant—general in 1864. This was followed by sending him on a mission to France in the same year. He was promoted to general in 1874 and in the following year participated in the Ethiopian—Egyptian War. During the war, he was asked to station his regiment in the district between Zeila and Harrar where he stayed till the end of the war and then returned to Egypt.

The name of Abdel Kadir Hilmy was related to Sudan early in his lifetime because he was appointed in 1876 as the chief—engineer of Sudan Railways. During that year the Egyptian Government started extending a railway from Wady Halfa to Donkola. He continued to work in that job till 1878 when it was decided that he would be appointed governor of Port Said and the Canal Zone. In February 1882, he was appointed to the post that gave him that vast reputation, namely — the chief governor of Sudan and chief commander of the Egyptian forces in it. The popularity that he gained from that position is due to two causes even though he did not stay long in that post:
1. The conditions at the time of his appointment which could be perceived in what the country suffered from since 1881 — that is, the spreading of the Mahdi rebellion and the victories they accomplished in the year preceding his rule till they became a dangerous threat to Egyptian existence in Sudan primarily after they had dominated the southern and midland areas of the island. Besides, Raouf Pasha, the former governor of Sudan failed to stop the extension of the rebellion.

2. His success in putting down the rebellion and facing it since his arrival in Khartoum on 11th May 1882, and till his departure, gave him a distinguished position in the history of the Mahdi Rebellion and Egyptian Sudanese history in general. Part of this success is what he did on his arrival in Sudan as he fortified Khartoum till it became impossible, for the Mahdi troops to attack the city. It is due to what Abdul Kadir Filmy accomplished that the city withstood the revolutionaries for such a long time and resisted the attack of the Anaaries during the years 1884 — 1885.

The second part is exemplified by what he did in his successful attempts to abolish the Mahdis in the Gezira. Leading a regiment from Khartoum, he was at first confronted by Prince Fadi Alla and then Dacbriff who appeared in the vest of the island, but he removed the flag of the Mahdi and cut the wireless between the Kouwa and the Moussalania and thug he could defeat him. This was followed by another victory when he defeated another force led by Ahmed El-Kashef, in a forest beside Maatouk and forced him to raise the siege on Star which he had encircled a short while ago. He then proceeded to Star, fortified it, and sent forth from it forces from the Shaikia led by Saioh fey Al to free Mount Moba and Mount Sakkari from the Ansar.

When he returned to Cairo he was asked to raise well-munitioned forces for the attack, but he objected to that attack as it opposed his general policy which was based on compressing Egyptian ammunition and pursuing the rebels. Nevertheless, his ejection was ignored. Finally, the dispute between him and the Egyptian Government ended in recalling him back to Cairo and appointing Alan’ El-Din Pasha to replace him. On his return to Cairo, he was appointed Minister of War and in i882 he formulated a committee to report on the future of the Sudan railways. In the following year, he refused the assignment given to him by the Egyptian government — that was the withdrawal of all Egyptian forces and civil employees from the Sudan.

3. His refusal was based on the insufficient means provided for the achievement of that assignment which he presumed would not take less than a year — it is that task that Goerdan accepted to accomplish after his refusal. Abdel Kadir Hilmy retired from the service of the government in 1887 and devoted himself to the management of his agricultural possessions till his death.

DR UEAZ-L-I8 BIZQ
Rendered into English by
MRS F.M. POUTDR