Yeghen family, also known as Yakan (; ; name meaning "Nephew") is an Egyptian aristocratic Family that had prominent members since the start of

Muhammad Ali dynasty The Muhammad Ali dynasty or the Alawiyya dynasty was the ruling dynasty of Egypt and Sudan from the 19th to the mid-20th century. It is named after its progenitor, the Albanians, Albanian Muhammad Ali of Egypt, Muhammad Ali, regarded as the fou ...

. They are closely related to the Royal Family.

Overview, history and name

The Yeghen family descends from the

Miralay ''Miralay'' or ''Mîr-i alay'' (Gendarmerie: ''Alaybeyi'') was a military rank of the Ottoman Army and Navy. The modern Turkish equivalent is ''Albay'', meaning Colonel. ''Miralay'' is a compound word composed of '' Mir'' (commander) and ''Ala ...

Mustafa Bey, who married Zubayda Khanum, a sister of

Muhammad Ali Pasha Mehmed Ali Pasha may refer to: * Muhammad Ali of Egypt (1769–1849), considered the founder of modern Egypt * Çerkes Mehmed Pasha (died 1625), Ottoman statesman and grand vizier * Mehmed Emin Âli Pasha (1815–1871), Ottoman statesman and gra ...

. Despite the family not being of direct lineage to Muhammed Ali Pasha, they were still heavily connected to royalty and maintained significant roles and influence in the country due to their close blood relation to the ruling family. Mansur_Yeghen_Pasha

During the

, the Yeghen family played significant political and economic roles in modern Egypt. Two of the many nephews of the

Pasha Pasha (; ; ) was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, generals, dignitary, dignitaries, and others. ''Pasha'' was also one of the highest titles in the 20th-century Kingdom of ...

, Ahmed and Ibrahim Yeghen Pasha, were very important commanders in the great army that took an estimated 2 million acres of land and crushed the Ottomans twice.Members of the family assumed several high-ranking positions within the government. Among the prominent members was Adly Yeghen Pasha, the 14th Prime Minister of Egypt, who also held important positions such as Foreign Minister, and Speaker of the Egyptian Senate. Another member was Ahmed Medhat Yeghen Pasha, who served as Minister of Agriculture and was the co-founder of the

Banque Misr Banque Misr () or in English the Bank of Egypt is an Egyptian bank co-founded by industrialist Joseph Aslan Cattaui Pasha, Joseph Cicurel and economist Talaat Harb Pasha in 1920. The government of the United Arab Republic nationalized the ban ...

. The Yeghen family maintained strong ties to the ruling khedival line and noble families of Egypt through marriage. Yehya Mansur Yeghen Pasha married Isma'il's eldest daughter, Princess Tawhida. He was the ''

mushir () is an Arabic word meaning "counsellor" or "advisor". It is related to the word shura, meaning consultation or "taking counsel". As an official title, it historically indicates a personal advisor to the ruler. In this use it is roughly comp ...

'' of the Egyptian army, minister of education, and was the director-general of agriculture. Naila Hanim, another member of Yeghen family, married

Sherif Sabri Pasha Sherif Sabri Pasha (, ), born in Cairo in 1895, was the brother of Nazli Sabri, Queen consort of Egypt. He was thus the maternal uncle of Nazli's son King Farouk I, and served on the three-member Regency Council that was formed in 1936-37 during ...

, brother of Queen Nazli. Additionally, not only did they marry cousins from the khedival line and noble families of Egypt, some married Ottoman princes. Mediha Momtaz, a member of the Yeghen family, married Prince Sultanzade Abbas Hilmi of Egypt and Turkey. Another two members of the Yeghen family that were sisters, married two Ottoman princes. Barkamal Khanum married Şehzade Muhammad ‘Abdu’l-Aziz and Nafia Khanum married Şehzade Muhammad Orhan.

Notable members

Adly Yakan Pasha Adly Yeghen Pasha (; 18 January 1864 – 22 October 1933), was from the Yeghen/Yakan Family and a member of the Muhammed Ali Dynasty. He was sometimes referred to as Adly Pasha, was an Egyptian political figure. He served as the 14th pri ...

(1864–1933): 14th prime minister of Egypt and minister of foreign affairs. * Ahmed Medhat Yeghen Pasha (1878–1944): Governor of Alexandria and minister of Agriculture. *

Ahmad Shukri Yeghen Pasha Ahmad () is an Arabic male given name common in most parts of the Muslim world. Other English spellings of the name include Ahmed. It is also used as a surname. Etymology The word derives from the root ( ḥ-m-d), from the Arabic (), from ...

(1799–1856), nephew of Muhammad Ali Pasha, Lieutenant general commander-in-chief of the Egyptian Forces in the

Hijaz Hejaz is a historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes the majority of the western region of Saudi Arabia, covering the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif and Al-Bahah. It is thus known as the "Western Province ...

1820–1829 and 1833–1841, director General of war department 1829–1833. He served as governor of

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), alternatively transliterated as Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; , ), is a List of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate and the largest city in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia, and the country's second largest city after Riyadh, located ...

and

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

. *

Ibrahim Yeghen Pasha Ibrahim may refer to: * Ibrahim (name), including a list of people with the name ** Abraham in Islam * Ibrahim (surah), a surah of the Qur'an * ''Ibrahim'' (play) or ''Ibrahim The Illustrious Bassa'', a 1676 tragedy by Elkanah Settle, based on a ...

(1801–1842) Lieutenant general, nephew of Muhammad Ali Pasha, Governor of al-Gharbiya, and served during the Syrian campaign. *Da'ud Pasha (1837–1917): succeeded al-Barudi as War Minister in August 1881. *Saleh Rushdi Yeghen Pasha (1851–1912): served as minister of Finance. * Khalil Yeghen Pasha (d.1820), nephew of

and Governor of Alexandria 1816–1818. Ibrahim Yeghen Pasha

Burials

Majority of the members who lived during the 19th century and early 20th century are buried in the royal mausoleum, Hosh el Pasha. Many members are buried in their branch's own mausoleum/cemetery. Muhammad Yeghen is currently fighting to save some of the burial sites from demolition.

Bayt Yakan

The iconic home "Bayt Yakan" now owned by Dr. Alaa el Habachi, used to belong to the Yeghens. It is in the area known as " Al Yakaneya", the neighborhood was a gift from Muhammad Ali Pasha to his nephews, where they owned homes. It is unsure if it was Ahmed Pasha or Ibrahim Pasha who owned the house, but it belonged to one of the two nephews that commanded the army. It is recgonized by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

as a world heritage site. The library houses very rare and important books. Other than being a place for visiting, it is also used for workshops which raise awareness about the heritage of Cairo, that the local community attend.

References

{{Reflist Egyptian royalty Egyptian nobility Muhammad Ali dynasty African noble families Egyptian families Egyptian pashas Muhammad Ali of Egypt Egyptian people of Albanian descent Egyptian people of Turkish descent

Overview, history and name

Notable members

Burials

Bayt Yakan

See also

References