Nationalism first emerged in the Arab East, where Egypt under the leadership of Muhammed Ali

Nationalism first emerged in the Arab East, where Egypt under the leadership of Muhammed Ali broke away from the Ottoman Empire in the early nineteenth century and emerged as a major Middle Eastern Power.

The occupation of Egypt by the British in 1882 further pulled it away from the Ottoman Empire’s domination and paved the way for the development of intense feeling of Egyptian nationalism. However, the Egyptians never thought in terms of larger Arab fatherland.