The term Ottoman Egyptians, first coined by Toledano in State and Society in Mid–Nineteenth Century Egypt, has come to replace the term Turco- Circassians, used by Hourani and many others to describe the ruling classes of Egypt in the mid– to late nineteenth century. Ottoman Egyptian attributes a greater sense of Egyptian roots to this elite group, many of whom had Circas- sian ancestry but were comfortable in both Turkish and Arabic and considered themselves native to Egypt. Within the context of the Sudan, however, even Arabic-speaking Egyptians were considered Turks, and the term Ottoman Egyp- tians may seem more problematic.

Eve M. Troutt Powell, A Different Shade of Coloni…, loc. 1092