Pioneer in the Desert: Countess May Torok von Szendro

Série « Pioneer in the Desert » — épisode 9 / 9

This last post in the "Pioneer in the Desert" series should have been the first, had I not long harbored doubts about the actual presence of Khedive Abbas Hilmi II's wife during his trip to Siwa in 1904-1905. The Khedive's journey itself, which I discussed years ago, had already posed problems for me regarding the actual dates, as I found them cited variously from 1897 up to 1907. However, the presence of his wife disguised as an army officer during the trip was the real problem, initially leading me to think of it as a sort of "urban legend" spread afterwards by her detractors.

The Love Story

The relationship, initially hidden, between the young prince Abbas Hilmi and Countess May von Torok von Szendro, of Hungarian family but born in Philadelphia in 1877, lasted a long time. The two had met during the future Khedive’s student years at the Theresianum in Vienna, where May’s brother, Count Josef Torok von Szendro, also studied. After a period of secrecy, their relationship resulted in a secret civil marriage in Alexandria in 1900, when Abbas already had a first wife and four children. The marriage was later made official with an Islamic ceremony on February 28, 1910, after the Countess’ conversion to Islam. At first she took the name Zubeida bint Abdallah, later changed to the definitive Djavidan Hanem.

Court Difficulties

The relationship and subsequent marriages were not well received either by the Ottoman court or by the British. For this reason, her life in Egypt was not easy, and I believe this is also the main reason for the scarcity of official documents attesting to her participation in the great journey of Khedive Abbas Hilmi II to Siwa. As documented by historical sources, court protocol discouraged royal consorts from attending state events. To circumvent these restrictions, May, "with the complicity of her amused husband, sometimes took part in official receptions disguised as a man." A documented example is her participation, dressed as a young court official, in the ceremony of laying the final stone during the raising of the Aswan Dam on February 8, 1909.

Documentary Evidence

In the main document about the expedition, that is the book "Beduinen-Lieder der libyschen Wüste" published by Ewald Falls in 1908, there is no explicit mention of the wife’s presence. This is understandable, given that the civil marriage had been kept secret and her official presence would have violated court protocol. Disguising herself as an army officer thus represented a practical solution to these restrictions.

The Final Assessment

At the end of my research, I am still partially uncertain about May Torok’s participation in the specific expedition to Siwa, but I believe the elements in favor outweigh those against. After the secret civil marriage, the Countess regularly accompanied the Khedive on his travels in Egypt and abroad, behavior that "had never before been seen at the Ottoman courts." This would explain both the absence of official documentation and the need for disguise, especially during a visit to a remote oasis in the desert.

Photographic Evidence

Among the numerous photographs published by Ewald Falls in his book on the expedition, there is one in which a woman dressed in Western clothing can be recognized on a donkey. However, it is important to specify that this photograph was taken at the beginning of the journey, in the area of the Monastery of Saint Mina (Abu Menas) in the Mareotis region, and not directly in Siwa.