From Royal Rest House to Historic Hotel; the Story of Cairo’s Iconic Mena House
Kenzy Fahmy
Sitting at the foot of the Giza Plateau is the Mena House, one of Egypt’s most iconic hotels, with more than a hundred years of incredibly rich history; the saying “If walls could speak” comes to mind. With its beautifully preserved architecture and interiors, its fascinating stories and what is arguably one of the best views of the Pyramids the city has to offer, it’s easy to see where the hotel gets its iconic status from.
The story of the Mena House’s origins takes us back to the 19th century, to 1869 specifically. It began its long and illustrious life as a hunting lodge and rest house built by Khedive Ismail and affectionately nicknamed the “Mud Hut”. The lodge was later expanded and a new road was specially built between Cairo and the Pyramids in time for the inauguration of the Suez Canal and the visit of Eugenie, Empress of France. The Khedive was rarely able to use the lodge himself, but the property was regularly frequented by the world’s royalty and the who’s who of Egyptian society.
The Khedive eventually sold the property in 1883 to Jessie and Frederick Head, a wealthy English couple who were apparently visiting Egypt on their honeymoon. The couple chose to once again expand the building, adding an extra floor as well as a small sanitarium where a fragile Frederick could take in the fresh air and try to rid himself of his maladies. It was right around this time that the house got its name; they chose to name the house after Mena, the Pharaoh who united Egypt and the first King to be referenced in the Tablet of Abydos. Sadly, Frederick’s health was beyond repair and he passed away just a few years later while on a trip to England.
The home was then sold off to yet another wealthy English couple, Ethel and Hugh Locke King, who by 1886 had turned the home into a luxury hotel. The Lockes hired British Architect Henri Favarger to direct the expansion of the building, the same man who designed the equally iconic Old Cataract in Aswan. Retaining as much of its original aesthetic as possible, Favarger introduced elements like Mashrabia screens, tiles and mosaics, and made the unique addition of colonial-style fireplaces. Alongside the all the amazingly rich furnishings and antiques that had been left behind by the Khedive and the Heads, the hotel was furnished with a number of pieces that had been specially brought over from England. The couple even had a swimming pool built on the premises in 1890, the very first in Egypt.
But the Lockes’ extravagant lifestyle and their habit of waiving their guests’ expenses meant that they were making no money off the hotel, and in 1896 they finally decide to lease the hotel to Emil Weckel and a mysterious Mr. Schick. Weckel and Shick managed the hotel until 1904, when ownership was once again transferred, this time to George Nungovich, a Greek-Cypriot hotelier and developer who had arrived penniless in 1870 and by the end of the century had managed to build himself a hotel empire. Nungovich managed the Mena House under his company, George Nungovich Egyptian Hotels, along with almost every other well-known hotel in the city, including the Savoy, the Grand Continental and the Shepheard.
The turn of the century brought with it a period of intense change, from the introduction of electricity and a new wave of tourists, but most importantly, it brought war. Just as the hotel was beginning to become profitable, the First World War made its way to Egypt and the Mena House was to prepare for an influx of Australian soldiers. The hotel, like many others, was converted into a hospital and camp and remained that way until the war was over.
But with the end of the war came another major boom in tourism, and Howard Carter’s 1922 discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb meant that Egypt was now a destination on every traveller’s wish list. The Mena House was almost always at full capacity and was expanded once more in order to accommodate its growing clientele, which over the course of its life included figures like Charlie Chaplin, Winston Churchill, Agatha Christie, Kisinger, Nixon and Carter, just a few names on a dizzyingly long list of other dignitaries and celebrities. The hotel served as the location for some of the country’s most important events and visits, especially when history would repeat itself and the Second World War reared its ugly head.
The Mena House was nationalized in 1954, along with many, if not all, of the country’s luxury hotels, and in 1972 management was handed over to the Oberoi Group, who ran the hotel until 2012. Finally, in 2015, the announcement was made that Marriott International would take over and the hotel was reopened in 2021 after extensive renovations under the new name, JW Marriot Cairo Mena House.
Since its foundation in the late 19th century, the hotel has passed through many hands. But all have managed to stay true to its origins, protecting as much of its legacy as possible. Walking through its gardens and halls, it’s impossible not to see remnants of its long and rich past in every corner of the stunning hotel. It’s a beautiful representation of the incredible heritage of the country itself, a perfectly preserved capsule of Egyptian history that will hopefully remain for future generations of travellers to see and experience first-hand.