Egypt 1831-1835
Port of Alexandria
William Light was employed by the Pasha of Egypt to establish a new modern Egyptian navy 1832-5.
[Vincent Courdona 1840]
The Nymphaeum, Shubra Palace
In 1831, The Lights were entertained by Pasha Mehmet Ali in the Nymphaeum of his new Shubra Palace outside Cairo. The Pasha, known as ‘The Lion of Egypt’, wished to establish an independent Egypt free from Ottoman yoke. For that he needed a modern army and navy.
Alexandria
William and Mary Light lived here from 1831 until their separation. It was a city on the brink of modernisation with a cosmopolitan emigré population yet the locals were still steeped in the fellahin traditional culture of Egypt .
[engraving by R. Young c 1850]
Upriver on the Nile from Cairo
The Lights travelled upriver to the Valley of the Kings on a luxury dahabiya loaned by the Pasha himself. They were both entranced by the simple life of the fellahin they witnessed en route.
[Credit: Francis Firth 1856]
The Tomb Chambers at Benehassen
This watercolour was painted by William Light during his trip with Mary on the way to the Valley of the Kings in 1831. They travelled up the Nile as far as the First Cataract on this expedition.
[William Light 1831-2]
Paddle steamer The Nile
In 1834, William Light piloted the Pasha’s new steamship from Southhampton to Alexandria. He was excited by the new technology of steam powered vessels and the speed with which he made this crossing.
[William Light 1834]