Marriott Hotel was built by
Khedive Ismail Pasha to accommodate Empress Eugenie of France for her visit to
Egypt. The Khedive spared no expense in building this hotel to house the wife
of Napoleon Bonaparte III and other European dignitaries during the inaugural
celebrations of the Suez Canal in 1869.
The architecture and construction of the Palace
reflected Khedive’s passion for neoclassical style popularized in Europe. For
the design elements, he engaged the services of Austrian Architect Julius Franz
(later Franz Bey) and De Curel Del Rosso, who also designed the Abdin Palace.
The German Carl von Diebitsch was contracted as the
Palace’s interior designer. He designed the décor, as well as prefabricating the
furniture, draperies and other internal fittings.
The modern-day hotel was built
around the al Gezira Palace which housed Egypt’s royal family during the 19th
century. After the Suez event, the next biggest gala was the wedding of the
Khedive’s four children in one massive, lavish celebration. After the signing
of the marriage documents, festivities continued for 40 days, and included
royal guests from all over the world. The wedding of the daughter of Prime
Minister Nahhas Pasha in the 1930s was held there. Also the boat party in front
of the Palace was part of H.M King Farouk and H.M Queen Nariman’s wedding
celebrations.
When the Khedive eventually went
bankrupt, and had to liquidate his assets to cover his debts, the palace was
acquired by the Egyptian Hotels Company in 1879, operating as the Gezira Palace
Hotel. The tourism industry suffered a downturn after WWI as a result of which
the hotel was auctioned off. Habib Lotfallah Pasha, head of a wealthy
land-owning family from Syria, bought the Gezirah Palace for LF140,000 in 1919,
along with which he acquired the title of prince. For the next 42 years, the
palace was the home of Prince Lotfallah’s descendents, who kept most of the
original structure, furniture, artifacts and paintings intact. The Saraya Cafe
was used as an arabesque dining room by the Lotfallah’s family, in which they
hosted a great number of elites during this eventful historical period.
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