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

Khedive Ismail Isma'il Pasha ( ar, إسماعيل باشا ; 12 January 1830 – 2 March 1895), was the Khedive of Khedivate of Egypt, Egypt and conqueror of Sudan (region), Sudan from 1863 to 1879, when Tewfik Pasha, he was removed at the behest of Great Bri ...

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 ( ar, مصر السفلى '; ) 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, ...

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, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered the longest rive ...

. In 1866 Siddiq constructed a palace in Lazoughli square,

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

, called Ismail Siddiq Pasha Al Mufash Palace.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Siddiq, Ismail 19th-century Egyptian people 1870s assassinated politicians 1830 births 1876 deaths Assassinated Egyptian politicians Egyptian pashas Finance Ministers of Egypt