In the beginning of the 19th century, Egypt was formally a part of the Ottoman Empire, but real power was concentrated in the hands of Beys or rulers of the Mamelukes.
Ottoman and Mameluke armies did not really differ from mere bands of brigands. Janissary formations were originally distinguished from other Turkish troops as elite military forces. Such regiments were formed from young boys mustered from the Balkan provinces of the Ottoman Empire and converted to Islam.
But by the time of Napoleon's invasion in Egypt, this once mighty military force had fallen into decay, become unruly and poorly organized.
Usually, Janissaries were grouped into subdivisions called Ortashes (150 men-strong), but in fact, the numerical strength of such units was dependent on the reputation of its commander. It was rumored that the most famous Ortash consisted of 30,000 men!
Each Janissary possessed his own weapon, usually a matchlock musket and one melee weapon at minimum.