Welcome to "Our Luxor". A guided tour of what once was!

Whilst King Tut's Mummy, and the mosquitoes of the West Bank, are great to visit for a couple of hours; we chose the relative civilisation of the East Bank for "Our Luxor"! We like to be around everyday folk in what passes for a 'normal' environment here in Egypt.

Just take a few minutes to come along with me and enjoy this personally guided tour of our beautiful and exclusive apartment.

We'll start out in the main street, look up to the left to see the name plaque; "Haret Osman". (If you click on any of the pictures, you can see them all together, and bigger!)

Our street sign is of the old fashioned type, it was rescued by one of our neighbours when they changed them to the more modern design. The street is named after his grandfather, Ahmed Adam Mohamed Osman; Haret Osman translates to Osman Alley.

While our alley is typical of the 'old style' Luxor, being very narrow and inhabited mainly by different branches of the same family, the mud-brick house at the end is a relic of the original architecture, the rest of the buildings are now of the more modern, reinforced concrete, construction. (We still have the odd small earthquake here now and then, lol.)

After climbing the stairs, past the clinics of a local surgeon and a dentist, we come to the privacy and comfort of the third floor, which is exclusive to our guests and ourselves. Here we find the extraordinary oasis known as "Our Luxor"!

 In the entrance hall, we catch our first impression of the unmistakable Arabian style which pervades "Our Luxor"! The ablaq Moorish arch is emblematic of Egyptian architecture from the Mameluke period, and the meshrabiya screen is redolent of a faintly remembered, bygone, age of the mysterious harem with its seductive ambiance! The hallway is otherwise sparsely furnished, with a few antiques set on a handmade woollen rug.

As we turn towards the large livingroom, we pass through another striking piece of meshrabiya work as we behold a room fit for a Pasha!

Some of the sumptuous soft furnishings in this 'salamlic' (traditionally, the room where the Master's guests would be welcomed) have been traded around the world before finishing up gracing the specially designed and commissioned handmade furniture of "Our Luxor". Antique desert prints, from the hand of a French artist, adorn one of the walls.

In addition to the A/C etc, a major feature which departs from tradition is the large balcony windows. We Westerners like the natural light, but seeing as light equates to heat; Egyptians prefer the gloom created by the pitiful light seeping through their small windows, which are usually fully shuttered!

The exquisite hand knotted carpet took eighteen months to make and, coupled with the heavy fabrics, creates yet more of a sense of the opulence enjoyed by the fabulously turbaned Turkish Pashas of old. (Those who once ruled over the downtrodden descendants of Egypt's all-conquering ancient civilisation.)

 

Temporarily leaving the gorgeous sights and textures of the One Thousand and One Nights, we can have a quick look into the kitchen; where there are all the usual (boring) kitchen things!

If you really do need to cook while you are on holiday; then the kitchen at "Our Luxor" has all that you will require: Pots, pans, crockery (hand painted) and cutlery, an electric oven with two hobs on the top, kettle and coffee maker. There is a fridge and a stainless steel sink and ample worktop space. (There's always chocolate in the fridge too!)                     
   

Why are we even in here? There's an adequate restaurant on almost every street corner, and food is very cheap, but what's more: if you're staying with us you will be on holiday! Who wants to slave over a hot stove when the sun is shining and you're in a very foreign and exciting place? 

Entering the bedroom, there is the en-suite with thermostatically controlled shower (rainfall or hand-held) handwash basin and WC. Not terrifically exciting, but worth a quick look!

The bedroom is set with a kingsize bed. The bed is as comfortable as it is welcoming, with European style mattress (as opposed to the hard cotton-stuffed Egyptian staple) and a decorative mozzie net. (Being on the East side of the river; this is just for decoration and is not required as protection!) We commissioned an English artist to provide us with the lovely stylised lotus flower.

Like the livingroom, this room is also air conditioned, so it can be cooled during the sultry nights. Again, the furniture was designed specifically for "Our Luxor", and handcrafted by local artisans.

Well, other than the balcony (off the livingroom) which is available for smokers, and a separate WC and handwash basin; that's about it for the actual accommodation! All that really remains to be seen is the roof terrace, on the next floor, where our B&B guests are fortunate enough to be served their famous "Our Luxor" breakfasts. We are great believers in the 'ample breakfast' philosophy, and our six courses come with copious amounts of tea and coffee in order to set our guests up for the day!

The terrace has various seating possibilities, and rugs and cushions can also be provided. Whilst there is a large shaded area in which to hide from the sun, there is also ample room for the sun worshippers to acquire their daily 'fix'!

Our Moroccan style fountain is a recent addition to the roof terrace, the trickling sound of the water is quite relaxing.

Under the canopy; are the doors to our small rooftop flat on the left of the picture below. You can see that we are very close by if required!  

The view of the Sphinx Avenue and Luxor Temple is particularly impressive when illuminated in the evening, this shot was taken just five minutes stroll from "Our Luxor".

Now that you've seen it, what do you think? Search as you may; you'll only find inferior copies of our classic style anywhere else in Luxor, and not one of them in the prime position of the actual town centre! 

All that guiding has given me a thirst, so I'm off for some tea! Bye for now.

As I write this I'm sad to say that we sold this apartment last week, and that it is no longer available to rent. I'm sorry if this causes you any disappointment, but; such is life! I hope that the rest of the Blog gives you a little entertainment as well as a valuable insight into "Life in Luxor". Bye bye!