The birthplace of Mehmet Ali — the Albanian-born Ottoman officer who became the founder of modern Egypt's ruling dynasty — stands in the Panagia district just below the Imaret complex he later funded. The house is a handsome Ottoman timber-framed building with projecting upper floors and a courtyard. Inside, it has been furnished in period style and is open to visitors as a small museum.
Mehmet Ali was born here around 1769 and spent his early years in Kavala before leaving for Egypt, where he eventually seized power in 1805 and transformed the country into a de facto independent state with a European-style military and administration. His descendants ruled Egypt until King Farouk was deposed in 1952. The Egyptian government paid for the house's restoration. The equestrian statue of Mehmet Ali that stands outside is a gift from Egypt to the city of his birth.