Hussein Kamel of Egypt

حسين كامل

–

Cairo

Sultan of Egypt from 19 December 1914 to 9 October 1917, the second son of Khedive Isma'il. Britain installed him after deposing his nephew, Khedive Abbas Hilmi II; he survived two assassination attempts in 1915, and on his death his son Kamal el Dine Hussein declined the throne, so his brother Ahmed Fuad succeeded him as Fuad I.

Depth

At a glance

Roles
Ruler
Region
Egypt & Nile
Identifiers
Wikidata
Review
Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it

Life in time

1800182518501875190019251950
The Colonial Era · The Gunpowder Empires · The Modern Era Contemporaries: Abadi Bano Begum · Abd al-Razzaq al-Bitar · Akbar Allahabadi (Urdu satirical poet, 1846–1921) · Ali-Hajji of Akusha · Amadou Bamba

In space

Cairo

Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph

Place in the story

    Unknown (unknown)

    Roles are dated and sourced; the museum describes the act and attributes the judgement.

    Summary

    Hussein Kamel (21 November 1853 – 9 October 1917) was Sultan of Egypt from 19 December 1914 to 9 October 1917, during the British protectorate. The second son of Khedive Isma'il, he was declared sultan after the British deposed his nephew, Khedive Abbas Hilmi II, ending Egypt's nominal Ottoman sovereignty; he was the first man to hold the title Sultan of Egypt since Tuman Bay II in 1517. 1 2

    Before the sultanate

    Before 1914 he had held office in Egypt: the Arabic article records his tenure at the ministry of public works, where he built the Cairo–Helwan railway, then at the ministry of finance, and the presidency of the Legislative Council (1909–1910 in the English article's succession boxes). 2 1

    Reign

    He was declared Sultan of Egypt on 19 December 1914, after the occupying British forces had deposed Abbas Hilmi II on 5 November 1914. The new sultanate was presented as a restoration of the pre-Ottoman Egyptian sultanate, but it was a British protectorate, with effective political and military power in British hands. In 1915 he survived two assassination attempts: a shot fired at his carriage in Cairo on 8 April, and a bomb thrown at his carriage on 9 July as he travelled to a mosque for Friday prayers. 1 3

    Death and succession

    He died in Cairo on 9 October 1917 and was buried at the Al-Rifai Mosque in Cairo. His only son, Prince Kamal el Dine Hussein, declined the succession, and his brother Ahmed Fuad ascended the throne as Fuad I. 1 2

    Connections

    Explore the connections

    Predecessor of
    Fuad I of Egypt
    Born in
    Cairo
    Died in
    Cairo
    Buried in
    Cairo
    Successor of
    Abbas Hilmi II
    Sibling of
    Fuad I of Egypt

    People and things also explored

    Fuad I of Egypt· Cairo· Al-Azhar Mosque· The Dar al-Hikma of Cairo· Baybars takes the sultanate, 658 AH· Capture of Cairo· death of Asad al-Dīn Shīrkūh — Saladin chosen vizier in his place· The great earthquake of Egypt, 608 AH

    Sources

    1. Hussein Kamel of Egypt — English Wikipedia
    2. Hussein Kamel of Egypt — Arabic Wikipedia
    3. Hussein Kamel of Egypt — French Wikipedia
    • Hussein Kamel of Egypt — Wikidata Q365930
    Cite this page

    islam.museum contributors. “Hussein Kamel of Egypt”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/hussein-kamel-of-egypt/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-26.

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    Related

    Fuad I of Egypt

    Sultan of Egypt from 1917 to 1922 and then its first king, from 1922 to 1936; the youngest son of Khedive Isma'il, he succeeded his brother Sultan Hussein Kamel. He played a major part in founding the Egyptian University and was its first rector (1908–1913); his reign brought the 1922 declaration of independence and the 1923 constitution, and he created the Royal Archives.