A class of their own
The small non-star family-run hotels of old Gurna have always been the choice of travellers, mostly those on a tight budget, who like to spend an untraditional vacation in the midst of the Theban necropolis surrounded by authentic rural life, lush green fields and mountains
Thousands of travellers cross the Nile in Luxor every day from the east bank to the west, wandering around the temples and tombs of the Theban necropolis. After finishing their tour, the majority return back to the east. For those who opt to stay, however, their only choice has been to book a room in one of these hotels scattered around the village.
Most of them are clean, run by locals and are located adjacent to the ancient sites. Some have air-conditioned rooms, others have ceiling fans or have both, some have rooms with separate bathrooms, others have shared ones, some have TV's and washing machines and others have not.
Signs of changing times, however, have recently hit the west bank, marked with the opening of a luxury hotel, Al-Moudira, just a few miles from the Royal Valleys. Al-Moudira targets those who want to relax and receive royal treatment off the beaten track.
Al-Moudira (which means 'the boss') is in reality Zeina Abu Kheir, the owner and managing director of the hotel. Abu Kheir earned her name and reputation during the hotel's construction phase, when her strong personality and persistence drove labourers to jestfully coin the label. When selecting a name for the hotel, Al- Moudira imposed itself, and Abu Kheir relented.
Al-Moudira is not, in actuality, a hotel -- certainly not in the traditional sense of the word. Al-Moudira is a place that may remind you of an old Beirut palace, a Turkish harem or perhaps a Moroccan royal estate.
The richness of the hotel's architecture hits you the moment you approach it; the entrance is adorned with a rustic archway complete with heavy wooden doors -- the type found only in the older parts of Cairo. Passing through the gates, you enter the "public" area, an ornate courtyard with an array of latticework that filters sunlight, adding a Middle Eastern flavour in the shaped shadows on the walls. Al-Moudira has been designed with traditionally styled architecture incorporating actual pieces saved from old Egyptian buildings. The majority of its décor is comprised of Egyptian- made items including artefacts from souqs, antique shops, bazaars, galleries and handicrafts by local artisans.
"The design is my idea. It is a kind of architecture that you find in Turkey or Syria," says Abu Kheir, as she sits in the open courtyard sipping cold karkadeh (hibiscus). "It is a mixture of Lebanese, Syrian and Turkish whereas the colours have an Italian touch. I have lived in Italy for 10 years. It was the dream of my life," she explains. "I thought of the idea even before I came to Egypt and resided in Cairo many years ago. I fell in love with Egypt's mysteries and folklore and with Egyptology and the west bank in particular. The east bank has become noisy and I wanted a peaceful place for my project."
Although the idea of the hotel has long been harboured in Zeina's mind, it began to crystallise just six years ago -- after the 1997 Luxor massacre, which claimed the lives of 58 tourists in the Hatshepsut Temple.
"It was a pity to come here and not to find a single tourist," Abu Kheir says. "Since that time, I decided to do something to bring tourists back to the area. I decided to provide the area with a certain quality of accommodation that would attract only quality tourists -- which Egypt has unfortunately lost," she says. "I believe Egypt has unique treasures and thus deserves to have something unique."
Situated on 10 feddans, Al-Moudira has a panoramic backdrop of mountains and the Valley of Queens, bordered by the desert on one side and agricultural land on the other. Its location and the atmosphere inside transport you to another time and place -- a seeming storybook palace in the midst of an ancient rural Egyptian village.
Only 43 of the hotel's planned 54 rooms are currently completed. Each room has its own design, furniture and theme -- no one like the other. Even the doors are different. All made from old wood, some are painted and some are not -- each with its own design and shape. All rooms have domed ceilings creating a liberating feeling of space. Columns and archways add to the oriental feel. The floors of all rooms and bathrooms are covered with hand-made tiles that were used at the turn of the 20th century in most Egyptian houses.
"Zeina asked a factory in Qena to do it for her," Zeina's assistant Andrea explained to Al- Ahram Weekly. "This factory was closed but they opened specially to produce these old- style tiles for us. They closed again after they finished."
Each room is excessively spacious -- giving the feel of royalty and grandeur. Once entering the "Turkish room", I was once again transported back in time. Everything inside takes you to another point in history: the old copper king-sized bed, the old wooden bed-side tables, the old mirror and accompanying wooden wardrobe. There is also a marble fountain inside the room surrounded by an array of cushions, some of which are covered with the red Turkish flag. The walls are covered with frescoes and the bathroom is simply another story -- a full-fledged room in itself with a sunken tub, where on one of its corners sits a traditional metal tabak and Ibreeq (a plate and a jar), that were used in old times to bathe.
"We wanted to strengthen the idea of the hammam (bathroom)," said Andrea. "Some guests spend some relaxing time in the hammam reading a book or lighting candles or having a glass of wine," she explains.
Another room, the "Pharaonic room" is adorned with Pharaonic paintings. The design of the furniture is inspired from the Pharaonic art. The bed-side tables, for example, are designed like temples and even the pair of glasses that are set on a tray on a corner table look old. Despite the ancient façade, however, all rooms are equipped with modern amenities such as satellite TV and air-conditioning.
"Sometimes when we have low occupancy we show the client more than one room and let him decide for himself," Andrea says of room allocation. "By experience we started to learn what each nationality prefers and try to show it to them first, sometimes it works and at other times their choice comes opposite to our expectations," she laughs.
To give travellers the palatial feel, the hotel's 54 rooms are grouped into units of four or more, which then open onto a private courtyard with lush greenery, a fountain, and a comfortable shaded patio area.
Amidst the richness of the surroundings, Zeina fits perfectly into the picture -- her bronzed skin, long dark hair, and exotic features making her too appear as one of the ancient characters of the palace -- a lady of the harem. Her mind, however, is very much in the present -- concerned with quality, quantity, and the overall business element of things.
"I don't care about the number of travellers I am getting," says Zeina, explaining that the hotel is not yet at a point where its flow of visitors is regular. "I can't count the numbers like other hotels do. Not yet. My concern now is much more about the quality. I do not deal with travel agencies but only with individuals," she explains. "And, you know, I don't make any publicity, people come through word of mouth. My main goal is actually to create something like home; to let the traveller feel at home."
Despite all its grandeur and luxury, the hotel is not ranked by traditional star ratings.
"We are members of the Egyptian Hotel Association but we have not been classified yet," Zeina says. "The Ministry of Tourism still can not find a classification for us," she explains. "Our hotel is what they call 'boutique hotels'. They are widely spread in France and Morocco. A boutique hotel is either a restored castle or something that has a special ancient style on a very high level."
Even the task of reaching Al-Moudira holds its own historic exoticism -- you have to cross the Nile by ferry. It is, however, possible to get there by taxi across the Luxor bridge (7km south of Luxor), however, it is a long drive.
Highlighting Al-Moudira is not to disregard the other non-star hotels of Gurna. For those who long for a luxurious vacation on the west where they can relax and enjoy a royal ambiance, Al-Moudira is the choice. But if you are more interested in real Gurna life, where you can mix with locals -- living, eating, and travelling around the village amongst them on bicycle or donkey, then the small hotels that dot the villages of Gurna are the better choice.
Al-Gezirah Village, only few miles from the dock of the ferry in the west, accommodates a number of small hotels such as Amoun El- Gezirah Hotel, Al-Gezirah and Al-Gezirah Gardens.
Within walking distance from Medinat Habu -- a temple complex that is second in size only to the temple complex at Karnak -- a number of hotels are situated in a village called Kom Lolah such as Habu Hotel, Queen's Hotel and Amenhotep Hotel.
Gurna village itself offers travellers a variety of accommodation options. Marsam Hotel, founded by Sheikh Ali Abdel-Rasoul, who was a member of the clan who helped discover the Tomb of Seti I, tops the list of options. Nur El- Gurna, Pharaohs and Osiris hotels are other possibilities.
Whatever your budget and whichever your choice, if you opt to reside on the west bank and experience its riches, you will most definitely be residing in a hotel in a class of its own.
Al-Moudira: west bank/Luxor. Double rooms range from $150 to $200 with breakfast. Tel: 00+ (02012) 392 8332. E-mail: moudirahotel@yahoo.com
Amoun El-Gezirah: Al-Gezirah, single/double rooms LE80 with breakfast. Tel: 00+(02095) 310 912.
Al-Gezirah Hotel: Al-Gezirah, singles/doubles range from LE40 to LE60 with breakfast. Tel: 00+(02095) 310 034.
Habu Hotel: Kom Lolah. Singles/doubles range from LE25 to LE40 with breakfast. Tel: 00+ (02095) 372 477.
Queen's Hotel: Kom Lolah. Singles/doubles range from LE30 to LE50 with breakfast. Tel: 00+(02095) 384 854.
Amenhotep: Kom Lolah. Singles/doubles range from LE75 to LE130 with breakfast. Tel: 00+ (02095) 311 228.
Nur El-Gourna: Gurna. Single/ doubles range from LE60 to LE70 with breakfast, suites LE100. Tel: 00+(002095) 331 430.
Pharaohs Hotel: Gurna. Single/ doubles LE50 per person with breakfast. Tel: 00+(02095) 310 702.
Osiris Hotel: Gurna. Rooms LE20 per person, breakfast LE5. Tel: 00+(02095) 310 685.
Marsam Hotel: Gurna. Singles/ doubles range from LE25 to LE50 with breakfast. Tel: 00+ (02095) 372 403. E-mail: marsam@africamail.com
Al-Ahram Weekly Online : 23 - 29 October 2003 (Issue No. 661)
Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/661/tr3.htm