Chapter VIII. Assiut Cell

In a meeting room at the base of the palace, Mrs. Karima sat with four men of her cousins, in addition to her son Hassan. It wasn’t a family gathering; rather, it was a covert business meeting. The night before, Sheikh Omar’s envoy arrived in Egypt, carrying important news.

They went by the name Assiut Cell and are connected to the Yildiz Intelligence Service. It appears that despite their focus on trade and abstention from politics, they did not lose sight of the Ottoman heritage that runs through their veins. Empire and caliphate are more significant to them than commerce, money, and all other things combined.

Under the guise of trade, Prince Ismail kept in touch with Istanbul, as did his children and grandchildren after him.

Throughout the years, this family remained staunchly loyal to the Ottoman Caliphate, informing them about the conditions in Egypt and Sudan and making use of their advantageous location in southern Egypt to do so.

Sheikh Omar looked over their records once the Yildiz apparatus was established to find someone in Egypt they could rely on, and the prince’s descendants were the ideal option.

The decision was made by Mrs. Karima’s husband, and following his passing, she took over as cell leader. She had a forceful but subdued demeanor. She created the cell with her husband’s help and selected the most trustworthy individuals.

Their brilliance quickly shone, as the organized work yielded detailed documented information, which was presented to Sultan Abdul Hamid II, in light of the difficult situation the empire suffered from.

Last night, Sheikh Omar’s envoy arrived, bringing news and instructions.

 Mrs. Karima: Hello, I hope you’re getting some rest after your long journey.

-Thank you, ma’am, I did.

-Have the products been delivered? 

-They are all in stock, yes. Not to worry. Without a strong justification and a plausible pretext, I wouldn’t approach you. I brought you items, and as usual, I’ll be paid for them.

Are all those in attendance authorized to be there, he continued.

-Yes, but first, routine verification procedures are required.

Hassan interrupted her and said, “Mom, I did it myself.” He is the Sheikh’s messenger, he has the seal, and all the required signs are in place.

-Yes, but you have to do it again in front of me.

Now that this firmness is in place, it is clear why Sheikh Omar chose her. However, despite the fact that her son independently confirmed the envoy, it is still important to verify everything with this woman because this envoy is different from the ones who have previously visited.

The envoy knelt down and removed his sandals before bowing respectfully to her and saying, “Excuse me, madam.” He then elevated his feet off the table in front of her, and she gave her a long, hard look as she noticed that the secret inscription of the envoys was correctly inscribed on the soles of each foot.

Do you have a match? asked Mrs. Karima.

The man pulled a large matchbox from his jacket pocket, took an 8 cm match, lit it, and blew three times on it.

Verification procedures completed; the man proved his identity.

Mrs. Karima: Thank you, what prompted them to send a new person?

-My predecessor was killed in Istanbul. We were betrayed. Soldiers from the Union Society stormed our workplace. They wanted to arrest Sheikh Omar or kill him. Some of us clashed with the invaders. They delayed their advance until the rest managed to flee, and my predecessor was among those who fought and attained martyrdom for that day.

-May God have mercy on him and accept him in the Gardens of Eden. Is the sheikh well?

-Yes, but the device no longer exists, not in the form you knew before. We are now being chased, and the sheikh is in a relatively safe place.

-in Istanbul?

-Yes, ma’am, in our secret quarters.

-Where is the letter?

-Not a letter, but news…

He hesitated for a moment, then said: We lost, but we will not surrender. We have a plan to restore the Sultan and the state. We need enough time and the necessary financial resources.

-Money is not a problem; we can finance you with everything you need.

Hassan interrupted their conversation, and with the enthusiasm of the youth, turned to them: What? Is that all we can do? Offer money only?

The envoy: Is there something else you can offer, sir?

Mrs. Karima: Here you go, Hassan, there must be something we can do, but let’s follow the instructions for now.

Addressing her words to the envoy: Is there anything else left?

– Yes, madam, Mr. Abdul Haq, one of our most skilled men, will come soon. He will lead the whole operation. Once he arrives, he will brief us all on the details.

-What process are you talking about?

– I don’t know, all I’ve been told is to arrange for his arrival, and to inform you.

In the evening, Prince Suleiman, disguised as a Sufi dervish, arrived at Zawiya in Istanbul for another secret meeting, far from Assiut.

Sheikh: Your Royal Highness is welcome; all preparations have been made.

Prince: Please show me, Sheikh.

-Mr. Abdel-Haq is scheduled to visit Egypt in the coming days. He will join an intelligence cell affiliated with us. He will supervise and expand its work under the cover of trade. Their first goal is to secure the logistical and financial support that we need.

In addition, we will take out the Yildiz archive and secure it there, it is no longer safe here, and you, Your Highness, must remain as close to the palace as possible at this time.

-Yildiz archive?

-It is the archive of some important issues that we were working on. I brought it with me. I would not allow it to fall into the hands of the enemy.

He hesitated for a moment, wanted to say something, furrowed his eyebrows, thought deeply, and said: Specifically, one issue is the most important of them all, we would like to ensure that work continues on it, at least if we cannot continue it, then keep its archives in a safe place.

He turned to Abd al-Haqq: Mr. Abd al-Haqq is responsible for it. Its safety and the safety of the case are more important to me than anything else, even more, important than the safety of the Sultan himself. What happened in Turkey, Your Highness, was not a spontaneous act, but rather a deliberate plan; We have indications that a secret headquarters belonging to a party is located on the island of Malta. We do not yet know who they are. They had a prominent role in the events. All we know about them is that they may be the ancestors of the Knights Templar. They have a dangerous secret, which they are concealing, and we want to know it.

The prince: You mean that the Ottoman Union Society has a secret headquarters in Malta?

Sheikh: Years ago, we thought this, when we got the first information about them, but we soon realized that there was no direct relationship between them and the association, but they are rather the product of their work.

-how? They have no relationship, but they are the product of them! State your point.

-Here lies the mystery surrounding them. We do not know. In these files there is information provided to us by some of our men, from which we conclude that this apparatus has manufactured the Union Society, without being directly involved in this.

-Do you mean that they managed them from behind a curtain?!

The sheikh hesitated for a moment, not wanting to sound like a madman in what he was going to say. He bit his lips and said: No, Your Highness, they have something that we don’t know, that enables them to change…

silence…

-What’s wrong with you?

-They can change time maybe, I don’t know!

The prince turned around, astonished at what he heard: the change of time?! Are you serious, Sheikh?! Where are your men who gave you this information, bring someone to hear from him.

-They were all killed, sir, in Malta and here. Not one of them was left alive, except for Mr. Abd al-Haq. Perhaps you now know why he must be protected, and the archives of files, for the most loyal of my men gave their blood for what is in them.

He replied, shaking his head and showing signs of displeasure in his mouth: Well, Sheikh, let’s leave this matter, it seems to be nonsense, nothing more.

He turned to Abdul Haq: I apologize to you, I do not mean to offend, for all that matters to me now is Turkey and its future.

He added: Who is in charge of the cell in Egypt?

Sheikh: Your cousins, sir, are in Assiut.

He smiled: my cousins?! I thought of escaping to them when the Sultan was ousted, but I did not communicate with them before, I do not know anything about them, and here you are telling me that they are part of the Sultan’s intelligence apparatus and I am the last to know!

The prince put his hand under his jacket, took out an envelope of papers sealed with red wax, said: Take this, Sheikh, a copy of all the papers and documents proving my identity, would like to keep it in the archive as well.

Sheikh: What do you need to do this?

Prince: Perhaps we will all be part of it soon. Grant me this wish. I do not feel that I will live long. The Union Society is watching me. Their spies are around me all the time. They are not sure of me. I feel that my life will not be long enough. But if we survive this difficult time, and I get married and have kids, I’d like this envelope to reach them, so they know who their father was.

The sheikh took the envelope from his hands, attached a piece of paper with it written on it, “Identification papers of Prince Suleiman, the rebellious prince.” He put the envelope and the paper in another envelope, and sealed it with the stamp of the Yildiz dervishes.

written on the new envelope

“Private, for the descendants of the forgotten prince.”