Ismael Urbain

Who is Ismael Urbain?

Ismael Urbain was a French journalist and interpreter.

Born in Cayenne, French Guiana Urbain was the illegitimate son of a merchant from Marseille named Urbain Brue and a free colored woman from French Guiana named Appoline. Ismael who bore his fathers first name as his surname, was brought by him to Marseille when he was eight, and there he received an education. In 1830, his father returned him to French Guiana where he hoped that he would turn to business. However, with the pitiful state of his father's affairs, Urbain wasn't allowed back, and the following year he again returned to Marseille.

After having discovered Saint-Simonianism, Urbain took the road to Paris where he became the secretary of Gustave d'Eichthal. He was with the Saint-Simonists before embarking with them to the Orient. He took up residence in Damietta in Egypt and taught French there until 1836. The year before he left he converted to Islam and took the name Ismael.

Back in Paris he worked for a time at Édouard Charton's Le Magasin pittoresque, Le Temps, la Charte de 1839 and la Revue du XIXe siècle.

After learning Arabic in Egypt he obtained the post of military interpreter in Algeria for which he had applied. He served as interpreter to several generals: Bugeaud, Rumilly and Changarnier. In 1840 he married a young Algerian woman with whom he had a daughter in 1843. His vast knowledge and experience of Islam led him to participate in the Algerian administration at a high level. Having become a member of the Governor General's advisory board he took part in most major decisions in Algeria.