Page 210 - Features of an Era
P. 210
Canonica also executed the Alexandrian The cover of Al-Mussawar magazine issued on December
statue of Khedive Isma’il which located in 9th, 1938, dominated by the image of King Farouk,
Manshiya Square in Alexandria, within a unveiling the statue of Isma’il in Alexandria.
great monument designed especially for
him. It remained there for a time until it was An excerpt of what was published in Al-Mussawar
moved to be located in its present place in magazine on December 9th, 1938, about the statue
Khedive Isma’il Square in Alexandria on
a simple pedestal (Fig. 4). This monument of Isma’il in Alexandria.
was later transformed into the Tomb of
the Unknown Soldier in Alexandria (Fig.
5A, B). This Alexandria statue was a gift
from the Italian community in Alexandria,
in recognition of Egypt’s hosting of King
Vittorio Emanuele III (1947-1869) the last
king of Italy after he was overthrown. The
original pedestal of the statue, now the
Monument of the Unknown Soldier, was
designed in Roman style by Ernesto Verrucci
Bey (1945–1874), the supervisor of royal
palaces in that period and the architectural
designer of the High Court of Justice in
Cairo. King Farouk unveiled this statue for
the first time on December 4th, 1938.
It is important that the statue of Isma’il
was completed in October, 1935; on the
16th of that month, a cover was placed
on the statue. Everyone waited for the
day when King Fouad would come to
celebrate the unveiling of the statue. It is
the day that was delayed for more than
three years. Al-Ahram explained the long
delay of the statue of Isma’il as the year
of the completion witnessed the invasion
of Italy to Ethiopia and the consequent
tension between British-Italian relations;
Egypt is not guilty of what happened.
It literally wrote that «If Egypt were
independent in its general foreign policy
and was not linked to England by coalition
and treaty, this celebration would prove
to the public that the true friendship
between Egypt and Italy includes the two
nationalities, the two governments and
both peoples.» In addition, there were
210
statue of Khedive Isma’il which located in 9th, 1938, dominated by the image of King Farouk,
Manshiya Square in Alexandria, within a unveiling the statue of Isma’il in Alexandria.
great monument designed especially for
him. It remained there for a time until it was An excerpt of what was published in Al-Mussawar
moved to be located in its present place in magazine on December 9th, 1938, about the statue
Khedive Isma’il Square in Alexandria on
a simple pedestal (Fig. 4). This monument of Isma’il in Alexandria.
was later transformed into the Tomb of
the Unknown Soldier in Alexandria (Fig.
5A, B). This Alexandria statue was a gift
from the Italian community in Alexandria,
in recognition of Egypt’s hosting of King
Vittorio Emanuele III (1947-1869) the last
king of Italy after he was overthrown. The
original pedestal of the statue, now the
Monument of the Unknown Soldier, was
designed in Roman style by Ernesto Verrucci
Bey (1945–1874), the supervisor of royal
palaces in that period and the architectural
designer of the High Court of Justice in
Cairo. King Farouk unveiled this statue for
the first time on December 4th, 1938.
It is important that the statue of Isma’il
was completed in October, 1935; on the
16th of that month, a cover was placed
on the statue. Everyone waited for the
day when King Fouad would come to
celebrate the unveiling of the statue. It is
the day that was delayed for more than
three years. Al-Ahram explained the long
delay of the statue of Isma’il as the year
of the completion witnessed the invasion
of Italy to Ethiopia and the consequent
tension between British-Italian relations;
Egypt is not guilty of what happened.
It literally wrote that «If Egypt were
independent in its general foreign policy
and was not linked to England by coalition
and treaty, this celebration would prove
to the public that the true friendship
between Egypt and Italy includes the two
nationalities, the two governments and
both peoples.» In addition, there were
210
