In al-Tahtawï's book, the Sudanese were ultimately most important as targets of Egyptian colonialism. After his return to Egypt from the Sudan, Muhammad `Alï began to bring the children of Sudanese shaykhs and lead- ers to Cairo, to educate them in the basics of agriculture or in the language schools.The point of this, wrote al-Tahtawï, was "to give them a taste of the food of learning and civilization, so that they could then spread this in their country." As they became increasingly "civilized," these Sudanese children offered proof of Egypt's political and cultural hegemony. Upon them was written the text, therefore, of Egyptian achievement.

Eve M. Troutt Powell, A Different Shade of Coloni…, loc. 241