The Statue of Khedive Ismail in Alexandria Kom el Dikka

The idea of establishing a monument to commemorate Khedive Ismail Pasha arose during & after the historic visit of King Fouad I to Italy in 1927. The "Italian community in Alexandria" wanted/requested to commemorate that visit by establishing a monument in Alexandria. The idea was accepted, and as a result; discussions were held between the Architect "Ernesto Verrucci Bey"; who was the chief architect of the royal palaces in Egypt at that time, and the Italian consulate. They agreed on establishing a monument and a statue of Khedive Ismail as King Fouad I tended to commemorate his father’s memory exploits and achievements. 

By the return of King Fouad I to Egypt, the Italians launched a subscription campaign to collect money for the project and managed to collect 2900 Egyptian pounds. Consequently, Verrucci Bey paid a visit to Italy to choose the appropriate marble for the project. But the actual work on the project started in 1933, as the famous Italian sculptor "Pietro Canonica" was chosen to sculpture the statue, and the architect Ernesto Verrucci was assigned to design the building. 

Pietro Canonica made a statue of bronze representing Ismail standing, wearing the formal suite and turning his head slightly, 8 m height with base. Ernesto Verrucci inspired the building from design of the monument of Vittorio Emanuelle II in Rome which is called “Vittoriano”. 

The building is semicircular in shape with marble columns carrying an arcade, which is surrounding a raised platform, the whole building is facing the sea. The cost of the building and the statue was paid by the Italian community in Alexandria, while the cost of the platform (2900 L.E.) and the lighting system around it (2200 L.E.) was paid by Alexandria Municipality. The project was completed in October 1935 and was covered waiting to be opened. The opening was postponed for many political & death of King Fouad reasons, and then on 5th Dec 1938, the decision was taken to open the project by King Farouk with a big inauguration ceremony, attended by the President of the Italian Senate giving a speech during the inauguration of the monument, and the presence of cabinet ministers, and foreign consuls. 

A monument with that rich history remains unknown for many Egyptians, it was a sign of acknowledgement of the role of Ismail in establishing a modern version of Egypt and a commemoration of the stable friendship between the Egyptian and Italian royal families. In 1965 Ismail Pasha statue was removed from the monument, and since that year it has been used as a remembrance of the Unknown Soldier. And after years of storage, the forgotten statue is currently erected in a small square in Kom El Dikka behind the Roman Theater in Alexandria city.