Ironically, having been employed by the government to help create a tightly supervised and controlled army, the bedouins often proved to be a menace for the authorities who frequently had to employ the army itself against various tribes to bring them under control. Relying on the baltaci ortas (sappers’ regiments) to undertake the same task, namely guarding the soldiers in their camps, was not very effective since they, as much as other regiments, were rampant with desertion.

XREF: Extends the earlier claim at loc 661 that bedouin tribal guards proved unreliable, showing the irony that the men hired to enforce control became the authorities' own menace. Builds on: "Bedouin tribal guards proved unreliable and prone to desertion."

Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed…, loc. 663