• Introduction; 1. Between Sultan and vali: Syria and the nature of Mehmed Ali's military expansion; 2. The birth of an army: conscription and resistance; 3. From peasants to soldiers: discipline and training; 4. Beyond the facade of order: the performance of the army; 5. Behind the lines: daily life in the camps; 6. The army and the Egyptian nation; 7. The Egyptian vali, the Ottoman Pashas and the British Lord; Conclusion.

' … Khaled Fahmy orients the focus of his research away from Mehmed Ali's character and towards one of his great achievements: the founding of a modern army in Egypt … The book makes extensive use of the Egyptian national archives and itemizes much detailed information, but the over-riding argument is forthright. Egypt's new army did not give vent to an emergent tide of pent-up nationalism against the Ottomans 'as soldiers far from rushing enthusiastically to join the colors and defend the nation, came to view conscription as a heavy tax exacted by an already oppressive and intolerant regime' … Fahmy's study makes both interesting and stimulating reading which is certain to provoke much discussion.' The Historical Association