In the meantime, however, ten battalions of 800 men each were formed in the camps in Aswan and Farshūṭ. These were made up of the Sudanese slaves in addition to the Egyptian fellahin who were initially conscripted from villages in Upper Egypt. On hearing that a new Wahhabi revolt had occurred in 'Asīr in the south of Hijaz, Mehmed Ali decided that it was time to try out his new troops. In July 1823 he wrote to Ibrahim Pasha telling him to form a regiment out of the newly formed battalions and to dispatch it immediately to Arabia even if the soldiers had not yet finished their proper courses of training.

Builds on: "Conscription waves rapidly recruited 30,000 Egyptian peasants within a year."

Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed…, loc. 457