Cairo Purim: When Cairo’s Jews Were Saved from an Evil Ruler in the 16th Century

Jews from Cairo, Egypt celebrate a unique holiday called Cairo Purim. The holiday commemorates the salvation of Cairo Jews from their enemies in 1524. These events are described in the Scroll of Egypt, very similar in style to the Scroll of Esther, written by a contemporary rabbi.

These events took place during the reign of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. One of the sultan’s generals was Ahmed Shaitan, a greedy and cruel man. As a reward for Ahmed’s military accomplishments Sultan Suleiman appointed him governor of Egypt.

But Ahmed had much higher aspirations. He had hoped that the Sultan would appoint him his Vizier, second in command of the whole Ottoman Empire. Disappointed in what he perceived as an inferior position, Ahmed decided to rebel against Sultan Suleiman and proclaim himself the king of Egypt.

After raising taxes, extorting money from the locals, and amassing significant funds, Ahmed gathered about two thousand “vain and light people¹” and attacked Sultan Suleiman’s forces stationed in Cairo. He stormed the citadel, where they took shelter, and despite heavy losses, conquered it and massacred most of the sultan’s soldiers. Some managed to escape.

Portrait of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, by Titian (c. 1530)

The Scroll of Egypt tell us², “On that day, at the time when Ahmed Shaitan went into the citadel, his whole force made him king over them… [T]hey proclaimed in streets of Cairo, and in all the neighboring cities, that Ahmed Shaitan was made king.”

Ahmed and the Jews

At the time, Cairo, the capital of Egypt, was the home of a large Jewish community. One of the community’s prominent members was Abraham de Castro, who had been appointed by the previous sultan as the head minter. His job was to mint coins in the local currency.

In those days, coins, in addition to their monetary value, served as a symbol of power. Each coin depicted or named the ruler under whose jurisdiction the coin was minted. Thus, the Scroll of Egypt relates that one of the instructions that Sultan Suleiman had given Ahmed was “the coinage shalt thou issue in my name³.”

After proclaiming himself king, Ahmed summoned de Castro and ordered him to mint coins in his, Ahmed Shaitan’s, name instead of the sultan’s.

De Castro found himself in a precarious position. With his life on the line, he agreed to fulfill Ahmed’s command. But he remained loyal to the sultan and did not trust Ahmed. In the middle of the night, under the cover of darkness, he escaped from Cairo. Eventually, he made his way to Constantinople and reported Ahmed’s rebellion to Suleiman the Magnificent⁴.

Meanwhile, in Cairo, Ahmed realized that de Castro had tricked him. Furious, he decided to take revenge on the whole Jewish community.

Apparently, Ahmed’s supporters were even more antisemitic than him. The Scroll of Egypt’s depiction is reminiscent of Haman in the Scroll of Esther⁵:

And Ahmed Shaitan’s forces came and said unto him, Thou knowest, O our lord the king, what thy servants have done unto thee, and that we have made thee king in Egypt. And now, if thy servants have found favor in thine eyes and if it please the king, let a decree be given to destroy, to kill, to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey, and to take vengeance of them, for they are our enemies and adversaries.

And just like Ahasuerus in the days of Purim, Ahmed replied⁶, “The Jews are given unto you, and do unto them as is pleasing in your eyes.”

Gold coin of Suleiman the Magnificent, struck at the Cairo mint. Classical Numismatic Group, Inc.

Cairo’s Jewish Leaders and Their Response

The Chief Rabbi of Cairo at the time was Rabbi David ben Zimra, also known as the Radbaz. Exiled from Spain at age 13, the Radbaz studied in Safed and Jerusalem and gained a reputation of a promising scholar. Later, he moved to Fez, Morocco and served on the rabbinical court.

In 1517, the Radbaz moved to Cairo, where he served as the Chief Rabbi for 40 years. He was known for his integrity and generosity. In addition to his community responsibilities, the Radbaz was a prolific writer and Torah teacher. His books are studied to this day.

Another prominent rabbi in Cairo at the time was Rabbi Samuel Sirillo, or Sidillo in other sources. Also Spanish-born, Rabbi Sirillo also authored Torah literature. Some believe him to be the author of the Scroll of Egypt⁷.

When the rabbis found out about Ahmed’s and his associates’ plans, they immediately organized public fasting and prayers. Just like in the days of Esther, the Jews “proclaimed a fast, and they wept, and they put earth upon their heads, and they put on sackcloth, from the least amongst them even unto the greatest, and the land mourned, and all the inhabitants thereof languished. And they continued fasting and crying every day until their weeping rose up to heaven⁸.”

Murder and Plunder

Ahmed’s soldiers wasted no time. They went on a rampage in the Jewish quarter, plundering Jews’ property and murdering those Jews who got in their way. Five Jews were murdered in this pogrom. Many others managed to flee.

The salvation, just like in the times of Purim, came from the palace itself, or rather, the citadel, which Ahmed had taken over. A Jew in a high-ranking government position appealed to Ahmed and his warriors. He begged them to leave the Jews alone, promising in return to deliver all of Cairo’s Jewish community’s gold and silver to Ahmed.

A map of Cairo drawn by Ottoman navigator Piri Reis and presented to Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent around 1525 AD. Piri Reis, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Never one to refuse gold and silver, Ahmed agreed, and the Jews were saved from further violence, though left impoverished.

Another Demand

But Ahmed’s greed was insatiable. Now that he saw that the Jews were willing to part with their wealth in exchange for safety, he attempted a repeat of the same tactic.

The Scroll of Egypt tells us⁹, “After these things, Ahmed Shaitan desired of the Jews a hundred and fifty thousand great gold pieces, and he also said, If ye bring them not quickly, I shall kill you with the sword.”

The amount Ahmed demanded would have been difficult to collect even during peaceful times. After the extensive plunder, the chances that the Jewish community would be able to come up with such an amount were nil.

But Ahmed was not interested in facts. He refused to listen to the representatives of the Jewish community who “fell down to the ground¹⁰” before him and begged him to reconsider.

Instead, Ahmed sought to put more pressure on the Jewish community by keeping twelve of its prominent members hostage until the money was received¹¹. Among the hostages was the Radbaz, who especially aroused Ahmed’s ire because he had been independently wealthy.

The Radbaz describes this episode¹², “I am imprisoned… The heart is oppressed; the thought is confused. The mind is diverted from study and fears for the future and is frightened for the present.”

Ahmed gave the Jews a deadline: the 19^th of Adar. If the money was not handed over by then, “Ahmed sought to destroy all the Jews that were in Cairo, both young and old, little children and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey¹³.”

A view of a street in old Cairo, 1878. Welsch

Prayers and a Purim-Like Miracle

Again, the Jews came together to pray. On the 18^th of Adar, the day before the deadline, “the Jews assembled themselves to stand for their life in prayer and supplication, and great crying, and in fasting and weeping; and sackcloth and ashes were spread under many¹⁴.”

Contemporary sources mention that Rabbi Sirillo gathered the young children of Cairo in his synagogue and led the prayers.

The sincere prayers of Cairo’s Jews were answered. The Scroll of Egypt tells us¹⁵:

And the cry of the children of Israel went up to the Holy One, and He heard their groaning, and remembered His covenant with them. And God saw their works, and their fasting, and their sackcloth, and He did not despise their humiliation, and He sent them help suddenly, and He saved them from the hands of their enemies and of those who sought their hurt.

Unbeknownst to the Jews, several survivors of Sultan Suleiman’s forces had been planning to overthrow the tyrannical Ahmed. On that very day, as the Jews were begging for their lives, the sultan’s soldiers sprang into action. They took over the citadel and searched for Ahmed in order to execute him.

Ahmed, however, had been taking a bath. Somehow, he heard the commotion and managed to escape.

Title page of The Scroll of Egypt that depicts the story of the salvation of the Jews of Cairo

Nevertheless, Sultan Suleiman’s soldiers declared a victory: “When Sultan Soliman’s chiefs saw that Ahmed Shaitan had fled, that they went up into the citadel, and dwelt therein. And they hastened, and proclaimed in all the streets of Cairo: Peace and quietness be unto you, and be ye not afraid… May our lord, the King Soliman, live forever; and there was very much joy, and Cairo rejoiced and was glad. The Jews had light and gladness, and joy and honor¹⁶.”

The hostages were released, and the Jews celebrated.

Sultan Suleiman’s forces pursued Ahmed for over a week. Finally, on the 28^th of Adar, they captured and executed him.

The Scroll of Egypt relates¹⁷:

When the Jews saw the salvation of the Holy One, and the wonders done to them, as in the days of Haman… the Jews were assembled, and agreed to fast on the twenty-seventh day of the month Adar and to make the twenty-eighth day a feast and rejoicing, and for sending portions one to another and gifts to the poor. Because the Holy One had done to them marvels and wonderful things, and had helped them out of the hands of those who had sought their life.

Since then, Cairo Purim became a yearly holiday, celebrated similarly to the original Purim by the Jewish community of Cairo. The celebration includes reading the Scroll of Egypt in the synagogue.

After the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, most Jews were forced to leave Egypt due to persecution. Very few Jews remain in Cairo today. However, some descendants of Cairo Jews living in Israel still celebrate Cairo Purim¹⁸.

1. G. Margoliouth. Megillath Missraim, or the Scroll of the Egyptian Purim. University of Pennsylvania Press. The Jewish Quarterly Review, Jan., 1896, Vol. 8, No. 2 (Jan., 1896), pp. 274-288.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. The Scroll of Egypt does not mention de Castro and Ahmed’s order. However, this episode is mentioned in other contemporary sources, as cited in G. Margoliouth. Megillath Missraim, or the Scroll of the Egyptian Purim. University of Pennsylvania Press. The Jewish Quarterly Review, Jan., 1896, Vol. 8, No. 2 (Jan., 1896), pp. 274-288.
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid.
7. Jacob R. Marcus. The Jew in the Medieval World: A Sourcebook. Hebrew Union College Press, 1999. Page 70.
8. G. Margoliouth. Megillath Missraim, or the Scroll of the Egyptian Purim. University of Pennsylvania Press. The Jewish Quarterly Review, Jan., 1896, Vol. 8, No. 2 (Jan., 1896), pp. 274-288.
9. Ibid.
10. Ibid.
11. The Scroll of Egypt doesn’t mention the hostages explicitly, though it does mention that Ahmed’s soldiers came to seize the Jews. Ibid.
12. Israel Goldman. The life and times of Rabbi David Ibn Abi Zimra; a social, economic and cultural study of Jewish life in the Ottoman Empire in the 15th and 16th centuries as reflected in the Responsa of the RDBZ. Jewish Theological Seminary of America, New York, 1970. Page 13.
13. G. Margoliouth. Megillath Missraim, or the Scroll of the Egyptian Purim. University of Pennsylvania Press. The Jewish Quarterly Review, Jan., 1896, Vol. 8, No. 2 (Jan., 1896), pp. 274-288.
14. Ibid.
15. Ibid.
16. Ibid.
17. Ibid.
18. Purim Mitzrayim. Available at https://www.hsje.org/Holidays/Purim/purim_misrayim.htm, retrieved on January 7, 2025.

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