The Windsor Hotel (فندق وندسور in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

, ''Hôtel Windsor'' in French) is a historic hotel in

downtown Cairo Downtown Cairo ( arz, وسط البلد '' "middle of town")'', has been the urban center of Cairo, Egypt, since the late 19th century, when the district was designed and built. History Downtown Cairo was designed by prestigious French archit ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

. Constructed in 1893, it is located near Opera Square and across Alfi Bey Street from the site of the former

Shepheard's Hotel Shepheard's Hotel was the leading hotel in Cairo and one of the most celebrated hotels in the world from the middle of the 19th century until its destruction in 1952 during the Cairo Fire. Five years after the original hotel was destroyed, a new ...

, of which it once served as an annex. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, it served as a British Officers Club, and much of its interior and furnishings date to this period. It has been called "an unrestored ode to the days of British

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

travel." After suffering damage from Metro line construction, it closed for repairs in September 2019; , it has not yet re-opened."“في انتظار التقرير”.. القصة الكاملة لإغلاق فندق وندسور التاريخي بعد تصدعه", منطقي (''Mantiqi'' print and digital magazine)
December 26, 2019
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Architecture

Originally constructed in 1893 as part of a royal baths complex, the Windsor Hotel is an example of

-era neo-Mamluk

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

. Its exterior facade bears strong resemblance to the interior

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary ...

facades of the 16th century Wikala of El-Ghouri, a

caravanserai A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was a roadside inn where travelers ( caravaners) could rest and recover from the day's journey. Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information and people across the network of trade routes covering ...

located in the nearby

Khan el-Khalili Khan el-Khalili ( ar, خان الخليلي) is a famous bazaar and souq (or ''souk'') in the historic center of Cairo, Egypt. Established as a center of trade in the Mamluk era and named for one of its several historic caravanserais, the b ...

souk. It is one of the only surviving examples of Khedivial patronage in this neighborhood of Cairo, which once included the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Op ...

, Royal Mail, and Ezbakeyyah Gardens, in addition to the

hammam A hammam ( ar, حمّام, translit=ḥammām, tr, hamam) or Turkish bath is a type of steam bath or a place of public bathing associated with the Islamic world. It is a prominent feature in the culture of the Muslim world and was inherited f ...

complex. According to engineers at the

Schindler Elevator Corporation Schindler Elevator Corporation is the American division of Schindler Group, and traces its origins back to 1869 with the establishment of the Haughton Elevator Company and 1928 with the founding of the Westinghouse Elevator Division. History Nat ...

, the Windsor's manually-operated wooden carriage elevator is the oldest in Egypt and among the oldest operating elevators of its type in the world. It features in episode two of the BBC television series “Around the World in 80 Days” featuring

Monty Python Monty Python (also collectively known as the Pythons) were a British comedy troupe who created the sketch comedy television show '' Monty Python's Flying Circus'', which first aired on the BBC in 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four ...

star

Michael Palin Sir Michael Edward Palin (; born 5 May 1943) is an English actor, comedian, writer, television presenter, and public speaker. He was a member of the Monty Python comedy group. Since 1980, he has made a number of travel documentaries. Palin w ...

References

External links

* Hotels in Cairo Hotel buildings completed in 1893 19th-century architecture in Egypt {{Egypt-struct-stub