A Massacre That Gave Rise to Spooky Lore
Muhammad Ali warmly greeted the Mamluks in Cairo’s Citadel. As they were presented with coffee and hookah pipes per hospitality customs, he carried on friendly conversations with them. At ceremony’s end, the guests mounted their horses, and formed in a procession preceded and followed by their host’s troops. They slowly made their way down a steep and narrow road that led to the Citadel’s great gate, Bab al Azab.
The Pasha’s troops in front exited the Citadel, but soon as the Mamluks reached the gate, it was slammed shut before them. Simultaneously, the troops behind them raced back to close the exit to the rear. As the procession of Mamluks confined along a narrow path milled about in confusion, a signal was given to begin their final eradication.
Albanian troops placed on the rooftops of nearby buildings that overlooked the trapped Mamluks opened fire. An eyewitness described what happened next: “[T]he infantry spread across the walls opened fire, killing them in droves and the mayhem and horror increased. The Mamelukes soon realized that their horses were useless and so they descended to walk on foot and took off their clothes and finery which only hindered their movements at that terrible time. They started to run, swords and firearms in hand, wanting to meet an enemy to take their revenge for the catastrophe which had befallen them. But they found no-one and the bullets continued to rain down upon them hitting their mark.“ That did in the slave soldier dynasty for good. Cairo’s lore has been full of tales of spooky sightings of anguished and terrified Mamluk ghosts at the Citadel ever since.
