Musilm Armies 18001914

During the 19th century, coming under the increasing military pressure exerted by the colonial military powers of Europe, several Muslim countries of both Africa and Asia were forced to modernize - in a progressive way - their armies in order to face the new menaces coming from abroad. As a result of the above, by the outbreak of World War I in 1914, several "westernized" Muslim armies already existed around the world. The most important of these was the Ottoman Army, which was gradually reformed following the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The Turkish troops played an important role in several pivotal conflicts of the 19th century - like the Crimean War - and developed their own distinctive identity across the decades. Following the Ottomans' example, during the central decades of the 19th century, several other Muslim nations reformed their military forces along "westernized" lines: Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Persia and Afghanistan. The Egyptian Army soon became a major military power of