Having collected some additional troops from the Bedouins, he
marched on Cairo. Isma'il Bey was sent by 'Ali Bey with a force of 3000
to check his advance; but at Basatin Isma'il with his troops joined
Abu'l-Dhahab. 'Ali Bey intended at first to defend himself so long as
possible in the citadel at Cairo; but receiving information to the
effect that his friend Zahir of Acre was still willing to give him
refuge, he left Cairo for Syria (8th of April 1772), one day before the
entrance of Abu'l-Dhahab.

At Acre 'Ali's fortune seemed to be restored. A Russian vessel anchored
outside the port, and, in accordance with the agreement which he had
made with the Russian empire, he was supplied with stores and
ammunition, and a force of 3000 Albanians. He sent one of his officers,
'Ali Bey al-Tantawi, to recover the Syrian towns evacuated by
Abu'l-Dhahab, and now in the possession of the Porte. He himself took
Jaffa and Gaza, the former of which he gave to his friend Zahir of
Acre. On the 1st of February 1773 he received information from Cairo
that Abu'l-Dhahab had made himself Sheik al-Balad, and in that capacity
was practising unheard-of extortions, which were making Egypt with one
voice call for the return of 'Ali Bey. He accordingly started for Egypt
at the head of an army of 8000 men, and on the 19th of April met the
army of Abu'l-Dhahab at Salihia. 'Ali's forces were successful at the
first engagement; but when the battle was renewed two days later he was
deserted by some of his officers, and prevented by illness and wounds
from himself taking the conduct of affairs. The result was a complete
defeat for his army, after which he declined to leave his tent; he was
captured after a brave resistance, and taken to Cairo, where he died
seven days later.

After 'Ali Bey's death Egypt became once more a dependency of the Porte,
governed by Abu'l-Dhahab as Sheik al-Balad with the title pasha. He
shortly afterwards received permission from the Porte to invade Syria,
with the view of punishing 'Ali Bey's supporter Zahir, and left as his
deputies in Cairo Isma'il Bey and Ibrahim Bey, who, by deserting 'Ali at
the battle of Salihia, had brought about his downfall. After taking many
cities in Palestine Abu'l-Dhahab died, the cause being unknown; and
Murad Bey (another of the deserters at Salihia) brought his forces back
to Egypt (26th of May 1775).

Isma'il Bey now became Sheik al-Balad, but was soon involved in a
dispute with Ibrahim a