There are therefore various factors that contributed to the positive image that Mehmed Ali has received throughout the ages. Besides his usefulness to nationalist historiography where he is depicted either as a founding father, a liberal legislator, or a romantic hero, the Pasha had the good fortune to have lived till the age of eighty. His long and, as this book has tried to argue, successful career (for only if one accepts the nationalist argument would the Pasha's efforts look thwarted and frustrated) offers numerous episodes and material that historians could chew on. In addition, and as has been shown throughout this book, the Pasha was able to manipulate his various interlocutors and successfully influenced their portrayal of him.

XREF: Connects to the earlier claims about Ibrahim engineering narratives to immortalize Mehmed Ali's dynasty, and King Fouad curating archives to craft a flattering dynastic narrative. Builds on: "Ibrahim engineered historical narratives to immortalize Mehmed Ali's dynasty."

Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed…, loc. 1667