Ismail Siddiq, also known as Ismail Siddiq Pasha and Ismail Al Mufatsh, (1830–1876) was an Egyptian statesman who served as the

finance minister A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfoli ...

from 1868 to 1876. He was one of the prominent members of the dhawāt which refers to noble individuals occupying major offices in Egypt at that period.

Biography

Siddiq was born in 1830. His mother who was an Arab slave was the

wet nurse A wet nurse is a woman who breastfeeding, breastfeeds and cares for another's child. Wet nurses are employed if the mother dies, if she is unable to nurse the child herself sufficiently or chooses not to do so. Wet-nursed children may be known a ...

Khedive Ismail Isma'il Pasha ( ; 25 November 1830 or 31 December 1830 – 2 March 1895), also known as Ismail the Magnificent, was the Khedive of Khedivate of Egypt, Egypt and ruler of Turco-Egyptian Sudan, Sudan from 1863 to 1879, when he was removed at the ...

who ruled Egypt between 1863 and 1879. Siddiq's father was Dunalı Mustafa Ağa, a soldier served in the army of Ibrahim Pasha, father of Khedive Ismail. Siddiq was inspector general responsible for

Lower Egypt Lower Egypt ( ') is the northernmost region of Egypt, which consists of the fertile Nile Delta between Upper Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea, from El Aiyat, south of modern-day Cairo, and Dahshur. Historically, the Nile River split into sev ...

and was named inspector general of Egypt in 1866. He was a member of the three-member regency council which was formed in June 1867 as a result of the minority of Khedive Ismail's son Tewfik. Siddiq was appointed head of finance department in 1868 being the first non-Turk who held these two significant offices for the first time. He also served as a financial agent for Khedive Ismail dealing with his personal finance. In November 1876 Siddiq was arrested by Khedive Ismail in Saray al Jazirah and sent to exile in Dongola, Sudan, where he was put into a prison. According to the official announcement few weeks after this incident Siddiq died there, but Wageeh Wahba of ''Egyptian Today'' newspaper argues that Siddiq was murdered by the Khedive's forces, and his body was thrown into the

Nile river The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the longest river i ...

. In 1866 Siddiq constructed a palace in Lazoughli square,

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

, called Ismail Siddiq Pasha Al Mufatsh Palace.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Siddiq, Ismail 19th-century Egyptian diplomats Politicians assassinated in the 1870s 1830 births 1876 deaths Assassinated Egyptian politicians Egyptian pashas Ministers of finance of Egypt