My journey to the middle east starts in the early 1800's. I leave the port of Marseilles on a British steamer bound for Alexandria. This trip feels as if I am traveling not just across seas, but between centuries. Europe embarks toward industry and empire, and the lands of the Middle East are also being drawn into this accelerating tide of change with this evolving industrialization of ideas and technologies. 

Like many others before me, my goal is to embark, experience, and observe. Between 1800 and 1900, the Ottoman world faces reform and resistance, revival and intrusion. Egypt, under the dynamic Muhammad Ali Pasha, goes through drastic changes in culture and religion where tradition and modernization meet.

Over the next sixty years, my journeys take me from Alexandria’s docks to Cairo’s schools, from the Suez Canal’s shimmering banks to Beirut’s presses, and finally to Istanbul’s imperial palaces. In these places, I witness how European influence reshapes not only politics and economy but also architecture, education, and identity itself.

As I step ashore in Alexandria, I am dumbfounded to be greeted by a mixture  of languages. I only speak English but from what I can tell I heard Arabic, French, Greek, and English. It was both welcoming but overwhelming. I could already tell how influential the diffusion of languages had taken place. The Mediterranean breeze carries the scent of salt, tar, and freshly milled cotton. My first conversation was with an English man named Thomas cook. He also came from Europe and settled in the Mediterranean for 2 years. In our conversation we talked about the city of Alexandria and a man named Muhammad Ali Pasha. He is said to be the former ruler of Egypt who brought the nation into industrialization and strengthened their power. His influence revitalized Alexandria to the city it was now. As I talk with Thomas, I see the foundations of Muhammad Ali Pasha’s reforms, driven by his desire to modernize Egypt in the image of European powers. The shipyards and cotton mills that line the harbor were results of Muhammad Ali’s industrial policies. European engineers who mostly French and Italian, supervise local workers, introducing steam-powered machinery and modern naval design. The port has become Egypt’s economic artery, connecting Cairo to the Mediterranean and beyond. As I stroll through the Rue Rosette, I pass cafés where I overheard scholars debate French political theory beside mosques. The sound is mesmerizing. It's like a living testament to Egypt’s dual identity as both heir to ancient traditional civilization and introduction to modern Europe. It was easy to say that this city of Alexandria was not far from the modernized European nations I know. 

Cultural Significance:

Alexandria’s transformation demonstrates how the encounter with Europe led to a hybrid modernization—borrowing Western industrial methods while sustaining local crafts and trade traditions. From religious mosques, to French and Italian architecture, It symbolizes Egypt’s early industrial awakening and its entry into global commerce.

Sailing up the Nile, I reach Cairo, where the reforms of Muhammad Ali take deeper root. At the Citadel, soldiers drill in European formations. I noticed that their uniforms were patterned after those of Napoleon’s army. The once-medieval city that I researched was now filled with schools, factories, and ministries. I was introduced to the Qasr al-Aini School of Medicine, founded in 1827 under French physician Antoine Clot (Clot Bey). It was a beautiful sight. Modern technology and European style architecture. Aside from the building structure, I witnessed a remarkable sight: young Egyptian men performing anatomical dissections. Which was surprising because it was said to be an act once taboo under Islamic law. Another school nearby was a school for engineers teaches mathematics and mechanics in Arabic and French. It was as if Cairo become the intellectual and administrative heart of a new Egypt.

As I sit beneath the Citadel’s ramparts at sunset, I hear the rhythmic recitations of students and the distant hammering of blacksmiths. The old city breathes with new purpose, it almost feels like I'm back at home. Many Egyptians resent the taxes that sustain this modernization.  Sounds a lot like home. There is unease yet hope and ambition fill the air. As a scholar myself, Cairo is has been my favorite destination so far. 

Cultural Significance:

These reforms mark the birth of modern education and medicine in the Arab world which was an extraordinary cultural achievement that merges Enlightenment science with Islamic ethical thought. The combination of European influence and traditional Egyptian culture formed a strong sense of technological advance and a clean industrialization. It was nice to see that Cairo still kept their culture and religious practices regardless of the amount of new world influence. 

Three decades later, I return to Egypt with Thomas Cook to witness the opening of the Suez Canal—a feat that will forever change the geography of empire.

Cook said that this canal would be the foundation of trade and diffusion in the East Asia's. At the sight, there were over a thousand people gathered for the inauguration. The Suez Canal was a 100 mile canal engineered by Ferdinand De Lesseps which was built Egyptian peasants. This was ironic to hear since we were in the Middle East and the one in charge was a French man bossing around Egyptian peasants. The project was a success but there were many Egyptian lives that were lost in the rough construction. It was an uneasy sight to see but the product spoke for itself. Ferdinand Del Lesseps called his creation the "bridge between East and West."

Standing beside the shimmering water, I feel awe and unease. The air smells of oil, sand, and sweat. The canal is both progress and a symbol of Egypt’s modernization and its new dependence on Europe.

Cultural Significance:

The canal represented the pinnacle of technological and imperial achievement in the Middle East which was a triumph of human engineering that connected two seas and redrew global trade. For Egypt, however, it also marked a loss of autonomy and colonization of Europeans. The enormous construction debt placed the nation under foreign financial control which posed as an issue to the uprise of conquering nations. However, the main achievement was successfully connecting the Eastern world through a trade route that would trade many goods and ideas. 

Leaving Egypt, I sail across the Levantine coast to Beirut, then an Ottoman port transformed by European missions and Arab intellectuals.

I came across the Jesuit College and Syrian Protestant College. Here, I saw young Arabs eager to study modern science and languages. This was another educational advance as I saw these intellectual Arabs in such a prestigious school. As I walked inside I saw printing presses in the alleys, producing newspapers and pamphlets in Arabic and French. I then saw Butrus al-Bustani, a Lebanese scholar and reformer. He was giving a lecture where there were over a hundred students and civilians listening. I couldn't understand him because of the language barrier but later that afternoon there was a news article released that titled: “We must revive our language and mind; not imitate the West, but learn from it.” These were such wise words and relevant to colonization of western ideas in the middle east. No wonder this man was getting such praise. Another thing that intrigued me was how fast press released the article! 

Continuing my journey in Beirut, I overhear poets in a cafe reciting lines inspired by both Voltaire and the Qur’an. It was interesting hearing a mixture of French enlightenment ideas and Islam ideas. The aroma of coffee, Arabian spices, and ink filled the air. This city was definitely the most dumbfounding sight to see yet. Every place I have been to so far has kept their middle eastern beliefs but introduced European architecture or technology. Beirut on the other hand had scholars debating on both European and Middle Eastern ideas. It was a city of perfect immersion. The city also had the scars of sectarian conflict which was remnants of the 1860 civil war between Druze and Maronites, fueled in part by European intervention. That is probably another reason why European colonization was so strong. It felt like in this city, enlightenment and instability coexisted.

Cultural Significance:

Beirut became the center of the Arab Nahda, or Renaissance which was a movement of intellectual revival that blends Western education with Arab heritage. Even I noticed this staying in Beirut as I talked to Arab scholars, European scholars, Arab influenced European scholars, European Arab scholars, and people who had mixed ideas. As confusing as it was, it showed how immersed the city was in European influence in their ideas. The translation of European literature into Arabic sparked constant debates on liberty, nationhood, and progress. Overall, this was the most intellectual city. I learned a lot especially through  Butrus al-Bustani who spoke wisely on the balance of European influence. It was truly the Arab Awakening, 

Istanbul – The Tanzimat and the Struggle for Modernity (c. 1890s)

My final destination is Istanbul, heart of the Ottoman Empire. By the late 19th century, this ancient capital stands at the crossroads of empire and reform. I came across the Dolmabahçe Palace, completed back in 1856, which embodied the grandeur of European influence. Built in the Baroque style with marble from Marmara and chandeliers from Paris, it rivaled the palaces of Vienna. The palace was filled with Ottoman officials who debated the empire’s future under the Tanzimat Reforms. I was curious about this topic so I dug deeper by talking to an Ottoman official who spoke english. I discovered that the Tanzimat Reforms were laws introducing equality, modern education, and centralized governance. It was a movement where the Ottoman Empire tried to modernize under European influence while preserving its sovereignty and Islamic identity. They were initiated by Sultan Mahmud II and carried forward by his successors, particularly Abdülmecid I and Abdülaziz. Since Europe enforced a superior military pressure and the Ottoman empire was struggling with internal corruption, the reform was in an attempt to modernize and prevent the empires collapse. This was the big talk of the time. I came across many debates and civilians talking about their side of the Tanzimat Reforms. My trip to Istanbul was short but informational. From the Galata Bridge, I watched the skyline of domes glimmer beside smokestacks and telegraph poles. Istanbul is a living metaphor for the 19th century itself: a civilization struggling to adapt without losing its soul. I felt as if this was a perfect metaphor for the Middle East in the 19th century since every City I have been to has struggled with balancing modernization and keeping their cultural identity. Thinking about this Butrus al-Bustani's words resonate with me even more. 

Cultural Significance:

The Tanzimat symbolizes the Ottoman attempt to reconcile tradition with modernization. It brings new administrative efficiency, strong legal codes, civic rights, and radical shifts for a centuries-old Islamic empire. Istanbul’s architecture, education, and literature show this transformation, blending Ottoman-Islamic heritage with European formality. The struggle to mirror European modernization and Islamic identity shows the main social and national issues in this era. These issues pose as a threat internal for each nation but also cause an issue for European nations to take advantage of and conquer their lands.

Conclusion – Reflections of a Time Traveler

As my steamer departs through the Bosporus, I realize that the 19th-century Middle East is not merely a stage for European ambition—it is a world in dialogue with itself. Egypt’s factories, Beirut’s presses, and Istanbul’s palaces all testify to the cultural creativity born of challenge. 

Europe brought empire, but also education, technology, and global exchange. Cultural, technological, and religious diffusion was shown very clearly and had big influence in changing ideas and power. My main takeaway from this journey was what Butrus al-Bustani expressed in his speech. The most important part about modernization and colonization of a new world is to pick up the beneficial ideas and languages but keep the traditional social identity which make the Middle Eastern people who they are.