- "Writings have suggested that Emir Ali Bey possessed a mystical ruby which he believed made him invincible. It was this invincibility that led to the pillaging of Greece and parts of Austria..."
- ―Indiana Jones[src]
Ali Bey was a sixteenth century Emir of the Ottoman Empire. Under his rule, the Ottoman Empire expanded westward into Europe, coming into greater prominence. One of his closest confidants was the artist, Wohat. According to legend, he credited the possession of the Invincible Ruby as source of his military expansion of the empire. When the ruby was lost, his confidence left, and the empire began to collapse.
Ali Bey built a Ali Bey's Palace in the region around modern Mombasa, Kenya. The ruby eventually ended up in a burial chamber in the palace.
Behind the scenes[]
While there are several Ottoman and Egyptian rulers with Ali Bey in their names, there is no historical Ali Bey in the 16th century that ruled the Ottoman Empire. The most prominent historical Ali Bey is Ali Bey Al-Kabir, who overthrew the Ottoman governor of Egypt in the 1700s and attempted independence from Istanbul before being defeated. Additionally, the historical Ottoman Empire was ruled by a Sultan, and not an Emir.