In Luxor, Sidney Olcott shoots fifteen films in
three months
Map of Egyptian railways. The Luxor
before then in 2011.
In 1912, Sidney Olcott and Kalemites landed in Luxor by train
from Cairo. Today the station is not the same at the time. The team
moved to the Luxor Hotel. One of two luxury hotels in the city, less
luxurious than the Winter Palace overlooking the Nile. Set back from
the river, the hotel is close to the ancient temple.
Open, there is still a few years, Luxor has lost its luster if one
believes the Hachette Guide Evasion (January 2008 edition) : “A
relic of the colonial era in Oriental-Victorian architecture of the
early twentieth (century). Except maybe that the air conditioning in
bedrooms hoarse, nothing seems to have changed since then; the elevator
stuck between floors, dream of the old days, and the darkness that
prevails in the long corridors seeks to hide the ravages of time. In
the back in the neglected garden , green pool water would the joy of a
colony of frogs. Still, the r., A basic comfort, offer, 1st floor, huge
terraces overlooking the temple. The relatively high prices for
services, can be negotiated.” (P 130).
The Luxor photographed in late 2011 :
the interior garden designed to accommodate a pool, the old dining room
and lobby with the counter.
In late 2011, the Luxor hotel is closed. In work to undergo a
complete renovation. A team of security guards provide 24-hour
surveillance 24 After negotiations and a few euros with a guard, it is
possible for me to visit the site. Difficult to get an idea of the
palace it was. Let alone find premises occupied by Olcott and his yet
so well described by Gene Gauntier. There is indeed the lobby, arcades
where Kamelites are photographed, but where is the bungalow of Cecil
Rhodes, away from the main but large enough to accommodate all the
troop building? And shelf built by Allen Farnham allowing to turn the
interior scenes of the films? The guard is worried. The tour is over!
The renovation should be completed in August 2013 and the hotel
operated by the British company Rocco Forte. Mubarak's fall, and that
of Morsi, accompanied by a great political uncertainty, it seems,
hampered things. On the Internet website Egyptian historic hotels, Luxor appears well on
the list of prestigious buildings but linking to the project and not to
a facility that works. Besides, we can find no trace of Luxor on
Internet bookings as TripAdvisor and Booking ... To be continued .
A video showcasing the renovation of the
Luxor Hotel. Some info on the project
itself.
Several blogs are devoted to Egypt and its
hotels from the early twentieth century :
- That of Andrew Humphreys, a journalist based in Cairo , author of a
book called Grand Hotel of Egypt . His blog has several pages devoted
to Luxor Hotel.
That of Max Karkégi Pasha, an Egyptian, who died in Vitre
(Ille-et-Vilaine), in 201. Title l'Egypte
d'antan, there are several pages on Luxor Hotel where Sidney Olcott
lived.
