Intelligence mission to the Arab provinces of the Aghayid Sultanate
Gordon Harrison, UK Ambassador
1. We met with a number of local notables and Turkish governors in each of the areas we visited, though we have found most of them to be lazy, lethargic types with the exception of the Egyptians, who seem to have an energy and industriousness about them not often found with others. The Syrians and Mesopotamians seemed more content to keep things as they are, and this hampers the development of their respective areas. If the current trends continue the way they do, Egypt will extend its lead in development and importance over the other Arab areas.
2. The different lands of the Arabs in the empire all seem to have their own distinguishing features. We did not visit Libya, as the only 2 places of note were Tripoli and Benghazi, and they are only minor regional towns. Egypt had impressed us. There is genuine emphasis on reform and modernisation. Nearly the entire Nile valley is no more than a day away from railway access and the education of local children appears to be a priority for the government, and as a result, the literacy rate is rapidly increasing. A lot of the local economy is based on agriculture, including both grains and cash crops such as cotton, but there are a few sizable industrial establishments in some of the larger cities such as Cairo, Alexandria, Tanta and Zagazig. Cairo, the regional capital, is in itself an impressive city, the second largest in the empire after Constantinople, and in some ways, it feels more the centre of gravity in the Arab provinces then Constantinople. Despite owning a palace here and in Alexandria, the Sultan has only visited Egypt twice in his reign, which has created some dissatisfaction amongst elites here.
3.Syria and Mesopotamia were less impressive. We visited Jerusalem in Southern Syria, but it felt neglected and semi-forgotten, inhabited by a mix of Arab and Jewish artisans (mostly of Sephardic extraction). Damascus was a sizeable city, but was still mostly medieval in appearance and style. Lacking the numerous textile mills that Cairo has, its commerce is largely based on being a centre of export for the Agricultural produce of the area. Mesopotamia largely has the same feel as Syria, though it is depressing to compare the glorious histories of the regions in discussion with their modern backwardness. The population of the regions are mostly Arab and Muslim, though there are substantial amounts of Arab Christians in Syria and Chaldeans in Mesopotamia, though there are no separatist feelings amongst these.
4. We did not enter the Hedjaz in Arabia for a number of reasons. There are no railroads into the region, and the most important 2 cities there, Mecca and Medina, are blocked off to all non-Muslims. We tried to point out the unfairness of this to the Governor of Hedjaz in our meeting with him in Cairo, but we are told that it is not permissible in their religion to enter the holy cities. Our intelligence indicates that we did not miss much anyway. The Hedjaz lacks even the Agricultural base that Syria and Mesopotamia have, and its population of around 450,000 are mostly semi-nomadic peoples. There are some limited arable lands in the southern region of Yemen, but they would be easier to access from our colony in Aden.
5. Altogether, with the exception of Egypt, the Arab provinces do not appear to contribute much to the empire. The holding of the Holy cities of Mecca and Medina do help with the Sultans standing as Caliph, which we understand is weak due to his usurpation of the title from the old Ottoman Caliphs. Egypt on the other hand is quite an important land in the empire, and is one of the keys of any future success it might have.
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Well, this is my first attempt at trying a new sort of approach on the timeline. The aim is to build up a much more detailed view of the empire, its politics, its military, and various other sections of its society. Let me know if this actually sounds good or not.
EDIT - I have also re-written the American section of chapter 4, to go into detail about an abolition plan that resembles the law of the free womb in Paraguay and have a presidential candidate more likely to actually try and abolish slavery. Comments on these changes are welcome too.