Mena House Oberoi ...a story of a historic hotel over 150 years old..!!

It is a special case among the hotels in the Egyptian capital, not because it gives you a hotel accommodation, but it gives you the opportunity to reflect on a civilization that still fascinates the world, and overlooking the hill of the famous pyramids, and its guard, the Sphinx, with enjoyment of the excellent service that is given to you. Therefore, the point is not just settle in one of five-star hotels, but it's another story contains many elements of thrill, excitement and spirit of ancient and modern history which makes this hotel being at the top of fun.

The beginning with Mena House Hotel was in the sixties of the nineteenth century, when the Ismail Pasha wanted to build a rest house for himself and his family on the pyramids hill, not because he just liked to see the pyramids and the Sphinx, but he wanted to build a resting place during his hunting trips in the desert. He built a palace on an area of 40 acres, surrounded by gardens and a wonderful oasis in the heart of the desert.
The palace remained just a rest for the Pasha and his friends till 1869 which witnessed the celebration of the inauguration of the Suez Canal, when Isamil Pasha invited the kings and dignitaries in Europe, led by Queen Eugénie de Montijo, Queen of France.. who had been hosted in his own rest house to get the chance to see and visit the pyramids.

In spite of the excellent establishment of the palace and its ownership of the Egypt ruler, and in an event was not repeated with any of the other ruler family's palaces in Egypt, the palace had been sold to a wealthy British sir called Sir Frederick Head, who was impressed by the palace and its location when he visited the region with his wife.

During searching for a name of the couple's new palace, a friend suggested them to name the house the name of King Mena who united the two territories in ancient Egypt, so the palace was named «Mena House». The name is not the only addition, but a second story has been established and more care has been given for the garden and many kinds of trees has been planted.

Despite the magic of the palace, Sir Frederick decided to sell it due to the doubling of its price, and finally it was sold to a British family which was famous for its interest in the Egyptian monuments. The family has taken the decision to divert the palace to a hotel to exploit its fame and its reputation, and there was a development of the palace by modern European-style through some touches of characteristic of British architecture and decoration, as well as the restoration of its antiquities collection and distribution through rooms, and the hotel began to receive visitors in 1887. A swimming pool was built in 1890, and a golf court on the sand in 1899 till it was converted to green fields after the end of the First World War.


Mena House Hotel, relationship to history had not stopped, but extended to World Wars I and II. At the first war in 1914 - 1918 and due to the no means of transportation, the hotel had turned to the residence of the Australian soldiers, while in the Second World War, the hotel has seen meetings of a number of leaders Allied forces, such as the meeting between Winston Churchill and President Roosevelt to discuss plans for war in 1943, then by the English commander Montgomery, whose name is still maintained on his wing till now.

As well,..Mena House was witness to one of the pivotal events in the history of Egypt. All peace negotiations after the 1973 Ramadan War between Egypt and Israel were conducted at it.
The Mena House Oberoi Hotel and Casino has also played host to some of the most famous cinema stars including Charlie Chaplin, Cecil B. DeMille, Robert Taylor, Omar Sharif, Barbara Hutton, Mia Farrow, David Niven, Peter Ustinov and the cast of Agatha Christie's "Death on the Nile".