Lazoghly

In the square that bears his name, a statue of Lazoghly, or Laz-Oghly, stands confidently, holding his sheathed sword and pointing his index finger in a particular direction.

Khetoda Muhammad Bey Laz-Oghly was Minister of Finance during Muhammad Ali’s reign, then Minister of Defense, and later Prime Minister of Egypt. He was Muhammad Ali’s close aide and conceived the idea for the famous Mamluk massacre that secured Muhammad Ali’s throne in Egypt, and which remains the great stain on his history.

This statue is nearly one hundred and fifty years old. It was sculpted around 1875, while the base bears Lazoghly’s death date, 1828. His exact date of birth is unknown. The statue was sculpted by French artist Henri Alfred Jacquemart (1824 to 1896), who also created the four famous lions of Qasr El Nil at the bridge’s entrance and exit, as well as the statue of Suleiman Pasha al-Faransawi, now located in the Citadel of Salah al-Din.

Location: Lazoghly Square, downtown.