HISTORY OF THE MENA HOUSE HOTEL

The Mena House is, if not the best known hotel in Egypt, certainly one of the better known. For years, this hotel has been considered one of the finest in Cairo, and is certainly one of the most historic, with a long and enchanting past. The origin of the Mena House was that of a royal lodge for the Khedive Ismail, used as a rest house for himself and his guest when hunting in the desert or visiting the Pyramids at Giza. The main dinning room of today was once the entire lodge, but in 1869, with the opening of the Suez Canal, the lodge was enlarged. Also, a road was built between Cairo and the Pyramids (specifically for the visit of the Empress Eugenie) which made visits to Giza much easier. For a time, Ismail retained the lodge, often allowing it to be used by royal visitors, including such noteworthy personalities as Prince Albert Edward of Wales. However, affairs of the state kept the Khedive himself from using the lodge with any frequency, so in the early1880s it was sold to Frederick Head as a private residence. The Heads, a wealthy English couple, lived an idyllic life at their new residence, enlarging their home and adding a second floor. Seeking a name for their estate, Professor A.H. Saya made the suggestion that it should be called Mena House, after the first king referenced in the Tablet of Abydos. But sadly, after owning the house for only five years, Frederick who was always a delicate soul, died while on a visit to London.

But despite all the wealthy guests who frequented the Mena House, rarely did the Locke-Kings make any money from the hotel. They were very extravagant, and when time came for a guest's bill to be settled, they tended to say that they had invited their friends at their own expense. Later, the couple returned to England and turned the management of the hotel over first to Baron Rodakowsky, a colorful gentlemen, and later to Emil Weckel and Mr. Schick, who many thought owned the establishment. But years later after Mr. Locke King's death, she finally sold the Mena House to George Nungovich who operated the Egyptian Hotels Company. When the Mena House fell into the hands of Mr. Nungovich, the Egyptian Hotels Company became the owner of every well known hotel in Cairo. These included the Savoy, the Continental and the Helwan Hotel, but Mr. Nungovich also controlled a management contract for the famous Shepheards, which was destroyed in He choose has his manager, August Wild from Zurich who proceeded to turn the Mena House into a paying proposition. The Mena House, as most of the other well known hotels in Cairo, saw considerable activity during both world wars. The tourist season was great in Egypt, but the First World War came to Egypt amongst martial law. The Mena House was told to hold itself ready for an influx of Australians. Of course, this was a time when the British claimed Egypt in their colonial empire, so Alfred Warner, an English contractor was awarded the job of building a camp for the Australian Light Horses just behind the hotel. While there was plenty of hard fighting in the desert, Cairo was reserved for fun while on leave or training. The Australians often took over the Casino de Paris, dancing and howling with mirth, took part in horse and camel races, and generally had a good time of it. But later during the First World War, the Mena House became one of the hospitals, and remained so for the rest of the war. Another hugely wealthy English couple, the Locke- Kings purchased the house from Mrs. Head, and it was they who set about turning the estate into a luxurious hotel. With plenty of money to work with and an estate already rich with furnishings and other treasures left by the Khedive and the Heads, the Locke-Kings enlarged the building once again, adding the English touch of great fireplaces that were unusual in Egypt. However, they retained much of the Arabic ambiance of the facility, and enhanced this with fine Mashrabia (wooden screens) work, fine blue tiles, mosaics and medieval brass-embossed and carved wood doors. Their taste was excellent, and the hotel has been kept with such good care, that many of these original fixtures are still in use. The Mena House Entrance

After the war, tourism in Egypt truly boomed. More and more tourists came to the Mena House, and a new wing was added. As elsewhere, the twenties, roaring as they were, saw many interesting guests arrive at the hotel. Charlie Chaplin busied himself at the hotel writing a script for his next film. King Gustave of Sweden, a true archaeologist, would come to collect antiquities from dealers, and he was not alone. Many kings and princes came and went, as the Mena House always attracted money and the powerful. A shady spot in the Mena Garden, 1920 One delightful story is told in The Mena House, A short History of a Remarkable Hotel, that "Milo (then the manager of the Mena House) was on duty late one night and the huge gate into the hotel had been locked. Someone honked a horn so imperiously he was afraid it would awaken his guests in the hotel and asked a servant to open it quickly. A small Fiat car drove into the courtyard. Milo continued with the letters he was writing and wondered what the disturbance had been about. He did not find the answer until he went to the kitchens. There was the then Prince Farouk (the crown prince of Egypt), who had become hungry while out driving, enjoying a beef sandwich which he had just made himself." As it turns out, Farouk enjoyed eating at the Mena House. As the Second World War started, things were much slower at the Mena House. Unlike World War I, which caught the world by surprise, people were uneasy prior to the second war and not much in a holiday mood. But Once again, the hotel filled with servicemen to the point where additional staff had to be added. The Australians were back, up to their usual pranks with plenty of good fun.

Churchill at the Mena House But matters did not go right at first, as Rommel, the famous desert fox, initially routed the allied troops. Later, things went better, and by 1943, the Mena House saw one of its most exciting years. Plans for Overlord, the invasion of Europe, had to be discussed by Churchill and Roosevelt and operations in Southeast Asia needed consultation with General Chiang Kai-Shek. It was decided that the Big Three conference should take place at the Mena House Hotel. In his Book V of the Second World War, Winston Churchill writes:

"The staffs congregated rapidly. The headquarters of the conference and the venue of all the British and American Chiefs of Staff was at the Mena House Hotel, opposite the pyramids, and I was but half a mile away. The whole place bristled with troops and anti-aircraft guns, and the strictest cordons guarded all approaches. Everyone set to work at their various levels upon the immense mass of business which had to be decided or adjusted." Indeed, the Mena House was a fortress, with some five hundred anti-aircraft guns surrounding the area. There was even an R.A.F. observation post on top of Cheop's Pyramid! President Roosevelt and Chiang Kai Chek Meet in the Mena House Garden.

After the war, more and more tourists came to the Mena House as tourism became a modern love of the world. As usual, many of these were heads of state, while famous personalities seemingly came in droves. In fact, there have been far too many movie stars and actors, writers, kings and princes, inventors and industrialists to ever name them all. Adding to the list including President Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Chiang Kai- Chek and General Montgomery came Barbara Hutton, Omar Shariff, Cecil B. DeMille, Robert Taylor, Charles Lindbert, President Richard Nixon, President Jimmy Carter, Henry Kissenger, William Faulkner, Randolph Hearst, the King of Morocco, King Umberto of Italy, and so many others. Famous Guest at the Mena House

TODAY THE MENA HOUSE HOTEL IS OWNED BY OBEROI

Oberoi is a well know luxury hotel chain operated out of India. It has been updated a number of times, and one may stay in either the "Old Palace" or the Newer Annex. The newer annex

E nd IMPORTANT This diaporama is not for commercial use and should not be published nor used on internet sites. It is sent free by to a list of friends Edited by H. Riad