The Qasr Al-Nil Bridge crosses the River Nile in central Cairo; it connects downtown Cairo to the Gezira island and Zamalek. At each end, in the east and the west, two large stone lions flank the entrance: constructed in the late 19th century, they are the work of Henri Alfred Jacquemart. The bridge was first built between 1869 and 1871 by Linant de Bellefonds with help from the French Five-Lilles Company, but was later rebuilt. The foundation stone for the present structure was laid down by King Fouad I on 4 February 1931. After two years of construction, King Fouad inaugurated the bridge on 6 June 1933; it was named the Khedive Ismail Bridge after Fouad's father. After the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, the bridge was renamed Qasr Al-Nil, which translates as Palace of the Nile. Al-Ahram Weekly photographer Sherif Sonbol captured this slice of history in shock after he realised that part of one of the lamp posts lining the structure was hacked at with the saw.
