MARRIOTT BUZZ NO. 13 - 2018

7 ​Cairo of the 19th century was a brilliant jewel at the height of its golden age. It became the preferred destination of European aristocracy, cultural savants, intrepid explorers and adventurous bourgeoisie alike, adored by them for the wonders it held of an exceptional civilizational confluence. From echoes of the captivating mystique of Pharaonic antiquity to the indelible influences of oriental Islamic culture, and for the ongoing artistic, academic and philosophical imports of European high society - Cairo in that time was a destination that would quench the wanderlust of all travellers coming from far and wide. The Khedive Ismail’s reign had produced some of Egypt’s most esteemed architectural wonders, as opulent palaces, stunning villas and glorious courtyards were built all around Cairo. Their magnificence is still marveled at today, remaining unmatched by any worthy challengers in modernity. They were erected at the behest of an ambitious ruler, who was so enamored and inspired by the exquisiteness of Europe’s great cities, seeking to defiantly replicate such feats of architectural splendor within his dominion at whatever the cost, where they would stand as monumental testaments to the cherished concepts of national pride and cultural equivalence. ​The Al Gezira Palace and Mena House instigated the period in Egypt when it started becoming a fashionable winter destination of choice, and throughout their histories both locations would be frequented by a catalogue of notable personalities and celebrity guests that would be the envy of any Buckingham Palace or White House. The sprawling palatial grounds formerly known as the Al Gezira Palace (currently the Cairo Marriott Hotel) were commissioned by the Khedive in 1869 as a commemorative reception venue to accommodate visiting royalty for the inauguration of the Suez Canal. In parallel, during the same year the aspiring and spendthrift Khedive would order the construction of the Mena House (also currently Marriott MENA House, Cairo Hotel), originally conceived as a royal lodge for himself, his family and visiting heads of state. The opening of the Canal however, caused the Khedive to expand the lodge’s footprint, perching it atop the rocky Giza plateau, overlooking the imposing vista of the Great Pyramids in all their glory. Indeed, only a cursory history of the intertwined legacies of these two magnificent palaces serves as a necessary and compelling reminder of, amongst many things, the Ottoman ruler’s grandiose vision for Egypt but more significantly as a window into the historic centrality of Egypt within global affairs, a capacity it has enjoyed since antiquity.