Muhammad Ali was the Ottoman Albanian governor and de facto ruler of Egypt from 1805 to 1848, considered the founder of modern Egypt. At the height of his rule, he controlled Egypt, Sudan, Hejaz, Najd, the Levant, Crete and parts of Greece.
Portrait by Auguste Couder, 1840
Muhammad Ali's birthplace in Kavala, now in northeastern Greece.
Massacre of the Mamelukes at the Cairo citadel by Horace Vernet.
Muhammad Ali by Jean-François Portaels, 1847
The Albanians are an ethnic group native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, culture, history and language. They primarily live in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia as well as in Croatia, Greece, Italy and Turkey. They also constitute a large diaspora with several communities established across Europe, the Americas and Oceania.
Glass necklace, 7th – 8th century, Shurdhah
The city of Krujë served as the royal seat of the Principality of Arbanon and later as the noble residence of the Kastrioti family.
Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg led a successful rebellion to resist Ottoman expansion into Europe for 25 years.
Ali Pasha Tepelena was one of the most powerful autonomous Ottoman Albanian rulers and governed over the Pashalik of Yanina.