Cairo , Egypt
Where did George Averoff live from 1837 to 1866?
George Averoff George M . Averoff ( 15 August 1815 , Metsovo – 15 July 1899 , Alexandria ) , alternately Jorgos Averof or Georgios Averof ( in Greek : Γεώργιος Αβέρωφ ) , was a Greek businessman and philanthropist . He is one of the great national benefactors of Greece . Born in the town of Metsovo ( Epirus , Greece , then Ottoman Empire ) Averoff moved to Alexandria while still young . He was known through most of his life for founding numerous schools in both Egypt and Greece . Biography . George Averoff was an Aromanian ( Vlach ) . He moved to Cairo , Egypt , in 1837 to work in a shop run by his brother , Anastasios . Thanks to his bold tactics and business activities he became the biggest merchant in Egypt . At the same time he participated in banking and real estate ( buying and leasing land ) while , thanks to his many riverboats travelling up and down the Nile , he managed to dominate Egypt’s domestic and foreign trade . The Greek historian Antonios Chaldeos , who has written his PhD thesis about the history of the Greeks in Sudan , suggests that based on local histories in Sudan that Averoff was heavily involved in slave-trade there . In fact , the Omdurman quarter of Abu Ruf , where historically the slave-market was situated , is still today named after him . His business activities resulted his accumulating vast wealth , which he used to donate to charity and common good purposes . His charity work included significant donations for the development of educational and other infrastructure projects for the Greek communities of Alexandria , Metsovo , Athens and for the Greek state in general . Among them , the most notable ones were the founding of the School of Agriculture in Larisa , the construction of the Evelpidon Military Academy , the donation to the Athens Conservatory , the donation for the refurbishment of the Panathenian Stadium ( raised by another two Aromanian benefactors ) , where the first modern Olympic Games were held , the completion of the National Technical University of Athens and the donation for building of the namesake flagship of the Greek Navy . The restoration of the Panathenian Stadium for the 1896 Summer Olympics was done at the request of Crown Prince Constantine . The stadium was refurbished in 1895 , its second refurbishment in the 19th century , using white marble from Mount Penteli pursuant to Averoffs request . The cost was initially estimated at 585,000 drachmas but eventually reached 920,000 drachmas . Averoff also served as a member of the reception committee for the foreign competitors at the Games . Averoff died in Alexandria in 1899 . In gratitude for his generous donations and services , the Greek state declared him a Major National Benefactor and commissioned a marble statue of him which was placed in front of the Panathenian Stadium . It remains there today . On 12 March 1910 , the armoured cruiser flagship of the Hellenic Navy , Georgios Averof , was named in his honour , thanks to a bequest of 300,000 GBP ( 2,500,000 Gold francs ) left to the navy by the terms of his Will & Testament .