Known as one of the birthplaces of great ancient civilizations, Egypt in the early 1700s had fallen far from its height under the Pharoahs. From the 1600s until the 1800s, Egypt was under Ottoman rule with its provincial capital at Cairo. Ottoman rule did not stop the Egyptian economy, nor its culture, and it remained an extremely important international trade city widely known for its high quality textiles and carpets. Despite that, the relations between the Turkish imperialists and the Egyptian subjects were often violent as a result of ethnic and religious clashes. The British and French moved in after the Ottoman Empire's hold on the region fell.

"There is indeed a merchant of Egypt, who just knows me by sight, having formerly remitted me some money to Grand Cairo; but as I am not versed in the modern Coptick, our conferences go no further than a bow and a grimace." (Addison).