Compass – There, in the Sinai desert, the Bedouins loved to circle the fire in front of their tents and listen to verses from the Holy Qur’an or verses from Al-Mutanabbi’s poetry in the melodious voice of Abdullah Effendi Palmer.

They loved that man, as he spoke their Arabic language fluently and was able to integrate with them and understand their customs, traditions and character. Perhaps they were not aware that the orientalist who claims to be of Syrian origin was nothing but an agent of the British intelligence, and his first goal, which was not hidden from anyone, was the elimination of the Urabi Revolution!

Abdullah Effendi Palmer..Translated the Qur’an and excelled in Persian and Urdu

Abdullah Effendi was none other than Edward Henry Palmer, Professor and Chair of Oriental Languages ​​at the prestigious University of Cambridge, who was born in 1840 and fascinated by the Orient.

Palmer mastered the Arabic language as if he was originally Arab, also mastered Persian and Urdu and studied Greek and Latin.

And his knowledge of the Arabic language was not only through his theoretical learning, as Palmer toured the East and made expeditions in the Sinai and the Negev deserts, and was interested in recording the habits and customs of the Bedouins.

He also traveled to Jerusalem, then to Lebanon, then Damascus, then the Alawites Mountains, and then Istanbul. He described this journey in a book of two parts.

He has many books describing his travels in the Orient and his knowledge of languages. He even translated the Noble Qur’an into English.

Palmer’s extensive knowledge of the Arabic language, Bedouin customs and the history of the region made him an ideal fit to assist the British Army in the occupation of Egypt.

The beginning of his work with British intelligence

Between 1879 and 1882, Ahmed Orabi led a revolution in Egypt against Khedive Tawfiq, and against foreign interference in Egyptian affairs. The Khedive was the first supporter of foreign intervention in the country, especially by Britain and France. This revolution, which worried the British, was known as the “Arabian Revolution”.

When Palmer was summoned to meet the British naval minister, Lord Northbrook, the language professor had no idea what the minister might ask of him, but he knew he wanted to hire him for a job that might bring him some cash that would solve his recent financial crises.

At that time, the English fleet, led by Admiral Seymour, was present near the coast of Alexandria, ready for military intervention, with the aim of suppressing Ahmed Orabi’s revolution, which was a threat that would lead to the exit of Egypt from the control of the British.

The plan was to carry out an attack from two sides on Egypt, with the aim of splitting the Egyptian army in two.

The first side will be via the sea from the side of Alexandria, led by Admiral Seymour’s fleet, and this battle is considered to have been settled in advance in favor of the British, as it is not expected that Alexandria’s fortifications would stand in the face of the British fleet, the most powerful in the world at that time.

But the potential risks were from the second side, the side of the Suez Canal located between the two banks of the Sinai desert, where it is possible that the desert Bedouins would support Orabi so that victory would be their ally, and it was also possible that volunteers would arrive from Syria to support Orabi against the occupation, and the worst possibility was the arrival of Ottoman support Land for the army of Orabi. Of course, this support can only reach Orabi from the side of the Sinai desert after passing through Syria.

All of this will make the British army between the two ends of the pincers: Urabi’s armies in the west of the Canal and the armies of his allies in the east, which means a certain defeat.

The goal, then, is simple and clear to the British: control of the Sinai desert. As for the means, it will not be cannons, armies, and fleets, but a clever professor who is fluent in the Arabic language and knows the customs and traditions of the Bedouins. His name is Edward Palmer.

From Edward the British to “Abdullah the Syrian”

According to Salah Issa’s book “Tales from the Home Book”, Lord Northbrook specifically explained to Palmer his job. Palmer’s task was to integrate the Bedouin tribes, gain their trust and friendliness, and persuade them to stand with Britain against Urabi.

In 1882, Palmer initially went to Alexandria as a journalist delegated by the newspaper “The Standard” and asked a British orientalist who supported the Urabi Revolution to present him to the revolutionaries and assure them that he was also a supporter of their cause and that he would support them by writing about their revolution in his newspaper.

Palmer urged the orientalist Blunt to introduce him to Arabi himself, but Blunt had reservations and refused to do so; for his suspicion of Palmer’s intentions.

Palmer spent some time in Alexandria accompanied by Admiral Seymour, and then went to Jaffa and from there to Gaza and then to the tribes of the Sinai desert after he changed his uniform to wear an Arab uniform, and the admiral provided him with a rifle and a pistol, and informed him of the plan of the upcoming war.

As for his name, he changed from Edward to Abdullah, a Syrian camel trader.

Valley of the labyrinth, the beginning of the story

When we talk about the desert, we can say that it belongs to the Ottoman authority in name only, as it is made up of scattered tribes that are subject only to tribal rulings and that it is difficult to be controlled by a central government.

In addition, they developed hostile relations with the rest of the Egyptians who lived on both banks of the Nile, and they had no relations of any kind, nor did they feel belonging to a specific land.. In short, the Bedouins at that time had a special status in Egypt, a better situation.” Abdullah Effendi “Exploit it.

As we mentioned earlier, the British aspired to provide the Bedouins with a part of their war effort, whether by participating with them in their war against Orabi or by confronting his allies, whether Arabs or Ottomans, or at least standing on the sidelines so that Orabi would lose an important force that could make victory his ally in His war with the English.

The tribes that Palmer had to gain their love lived in the valley of the labyrinth, where there are two main antagonistic forces: the “Tabaha” tribe and the “Tarabin” tribe. dependency, for these two central forces.

Bread and meat.. a covenant of protection to the death

Palmer had to bribe the tribes with gifts and money, and certainly win their favor, and he presented himself as a Syrian merchant traveling in the Sinai desert, and was able to arouse the curiosity of the tribesmen who admired him and gathered around him, although they knew little about him, while he was able to collect A lot of information about them and finding ways to convince them of his ideas and the need to stand up to Orabi.

Abdullah Effendi Palmer was astonished by his ability to influence the Bedouins who responded to his call, after he did not spare them money and gifts. After negotiations with the tribesmen, he was joined by about 40,000 men, who promised to stand against Orabi.

Thus, he moved Palmer among the tribes’ rackets, fascinating the Bedouins with his skill in reciting the Qur’an and his eloquence in reciting verses from Al-Mutanabbi’s poetry, and wooing them with gifts and negotiating their leaders on the value of the bribes he would give them in return for standing in the face of Orabi, and after ensuring their loyalty he eats with them “bread and meat” as a covenant between him and them To protect each other to death.

Member of the War Staff

According to the agreements Palmer made with the tribal elders, the orientalist ensured that the tribes would at least be kept out of the conflict until he went to the Suez Canal to bring them the money he had promised them from Admiral Seymour, who had arrived at the Suez Canal.

When Palmer reached the Suez Canal, the Admiral heard his success, and the Admiral wrote the details of the success of the British plan in a report and immediately sent it to the British Secretary of War in London, Lord Northbrook.

Palmer or Abdullah Effendi remained for some time in Suez, which fell under the authority of the English after the defeat of the Egyptian army, and received the news of his appointment as chief translators in the Royal Army, thus becoming a member of the Staff of the War headed by the Emir of the Sea.

last flight

Palmer managed to arrange a wonderful deal for the English, as he bought the loyalty of 50,000 Bedouins for about 25,000 pounds, which is equivalent to half a pound for one soldier.

This sum was secured for him by the British Captain Gill, an officer of the British Intelligence Department, who was carrying out a mission similar to that of Palmer in the Sharkia Governorate, where he was known as Sheikh Muhammad.

Jill and Palmer, accompanied by Lieutenant Charrington, went into the desert to deliver money to the tribal leaders on the one hand and to destroy the telegraph poles on the other; This is to prevent contact between Orabi and any potential allies of the Ottomans or Syrian volunteers.

The three took with them five Bedouins, the guides of the road, and they walked through the desert towards the tribes; To give her the money they agreed upon.

Palmer dreamed of returning to his country, where his wife awaits him, loaded with money and surrounded by fame, but his dreams did not come true there in the middle of the desert, and before he reached his goal, a bullet ended his life, while two bullets ended the lives of Captain Gale and Lieutenant Charrington.

The Bedouins killed their British companions, and the reason is not known precisely, it may have been the money they seized and fled, and they may have been supporters of the Urabi revolt.

What we know is that the remains of the British orientalist were buried in the desert, and that his government refused to acknowledge his services and denied using bribery to win the battle with Urabi.

However, after the English occupation of Egypt, the efforts of Sir Charles Warren (then a colonel) succeeded in obtaining the remains of Palmer and his companions, to be buried later in St Paul’s Cathedral in London.

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