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Al-Ahram Weekly 9 - 15 December 1999 Issue No. 459 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 9 - 15 December 1999 Issue No. 459
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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In the pashas' den
The former Mohamed Ali Club has been revealed in all its splendour. Fayza Hassan gets an exclusive glimpse of the opulent inner sanctum
(photos: Randa Shaath)
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It is said that when young Randolph Churchill came to Egypt in the spring of 1941, he thoroughly enjoyed Cairo. "It was rumoured at the time that his favourite lady was Momo Marriott, daughter of the American financier Otto Kahn," gossiped Artemis Cooper in Cairo in the War,1939-1945 (Penguin, 1989). "But whatever Randolph's relationship with Mrs Marriott," added Cooper, "it did not stop him enjoying the company of an ever changing succession of elegant Levantine women, who sat in groups over tea in Shepheard's and the Continental waiting to be asked if they were doing anything that evening. He was often seen with them at Madame Badia's, the Kit Kat Club and even the Mohamed Ali Club, which raised several eyebrows. On one occasion, he sat down with two of his girlfriends in the lobby which was reserved exclusively for gentlemen -- ladies were supposed to go straight upstairs. On being asked to move, Randolph flew into a rage that resounded through the building. The upshot was that that the club was forced to introduce a rule whereby guests had to sign in their female guests so that undesirable ladies be kept out."
And out they remained. Kings, politicians, ministers and ambassadors have frequented the Mohamed Ali Club since it was built in the first years of the century on land taken from the grounds of one of King Fouad's palaces, adjoining Soliman Pasha (now Talaat Harb) Street. It is said that King Farouk was particularly fond of popping in unexpectedly. After the 1952 Revolution, the club became the preserve of Egyptian and foreign career diplomats, changing its name to the Diplomatic Club; and, though the state of the fixtures and fittings may have had their ups and downs during the past 40 years, the utmost propriety was observed at all times on the premises.
The Diplomatic Club was recently entrusted to an Egyptian firm of architects and restorers who entirely refurbished the façade while interior decorator Ihab Shafiq, armed with an album filled with old photos of the famous salons, dining and reception rooms for reference, gave the interior a complete makeover. The result is a modernised replica of what was once a king's recreation ground.
The renewed premises are now ready to receive members, with former Ambassador Wahid Fawzi at the club's helm. Fawzi, who repeatedly refused to let the conversation focus on his own role, does not foresee any problems à la Randolph and is sure that no guest will raise anyone's eyebrows in a place under his control. He is confident that the members' behaviour will be impeccable at all times. He has great plans for the club, which he says will be exclusively reserved to the higher echelons of the diplomatic corps (foreign and Egyptian) and their immediate families, at least for the time being. This will be a haven where they will be able to stop for a quick lunch, simply read the papers over a cup of coffee, attend a formal dinner, organise an engagement or wedding party or hold a conference. The large number of reception rooms will allow for several different functions to be held at the same time. In summer, members will be able to dine in a lovely roof-garden which has been added and decorated in an all-white scheme by Shafiq.
"Members will be required to sign in their guests -- both men and women -- says Fawzi. "Of course, many businessmen would like to join," he adds, "and we already have had a large number of requests, but this may open the door to a series of problems for which we are not yet fully prepared. Who should we admit and who should be rejected, for instance? What should the criteria be? And how many extra members can we have without overtaxing the club's capabilities?"
Fawzi, however, has not completely given up the idea of including businessmen in the future ("especially if they can help the traditionally poor diplomats with the maintenance expenses," he jokes), provided a satisfactory formula can be worked out. "For a while, however, I am afraid that businessmen will have to be invited by a diplomat member in order to enjoy our facilities."
Fawzi has embarked on a carefully charted course, beginning with a soft opening until the difficulties inherent in the restoration of a social club with a distinguished tradition are ironed out and the machine is running smoothly. He intends to rely heavily on the advice and assistance of diplomats' wives, who are experienced in entertaining VIPs and are well-versed in the rules of protocol required in such formal surroundings. The "fat pashas" in their tarboushes, glimpsed by Lord Edward Cecil, may no longer be sitting in the smoking room "discuss[ing] games, mak[ing] future arrangements and plans, argu[ing] politics... and do[ing] not a little useful business at times," but a fitter (and hatless) new generation of members will be given a chance now to enjoy their leisure in exactly the same pleasant atmosphere and elegant ambience as their predecessors, courtesy of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the team of architects and decorators who have worked so hard to revive a precious fragment of Egyptian history.
