by Ameera Fouad
Anchored in front of Ras Al Teen Presidential Palace in Alexandria, the legendary Al Mahrousa yacht will participate lively in the opening of the New Suez Canal this Thursday 6 October.
Departing from Alexandria, the 150-year-old royal Mahrousa yacht arrived in the governorate of Ismailia Friday to pick up President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi for a cruise during the inauguration of the New Suez Canal.
“It has docked in the Suez’s parking Lake Timsah (Crocodile Lake). On board, a number of world leaders are scheduled to set sail with President Sisi,” SCA chairperson Mohab Mamish previously announced.
Al Mahrousa is one of the biggest yachts in the world, at 42 feet in width with a carrying capacity of 3,417 tonnes. The five-floor yacht was 411 feet in length when it was built in 1859, but was extended by 40 feet in 1972.
The ship is genuinely enriched with thousands of memories of its glorious history which started in 1865, when it made its first sailing excursion from the River Thames in London to Alexandria in Egypt.
Al Mahrousa’s historical background is quite an incredible story to tell, which starts with Khedive Ismail, who wanted to celebrate the opening of the Suez Canal by building one of the world’s largest and most luxurious yachts, which would serve as a main means of transportation for the royal family.
He assigned the task to Samoda Company in London, which finished constructing Al Mahrousa in April 1865. The ship, running on coal fuel, then sailed from London to Alexandria.
Al Mahrousa timeline
- In 1867, Al Mahrousa was used as transport in the repression of the revolution in Takreet.
- In 1868, Khedive Ismail first boarded the ship to attend art exhibitions in Paris.
- In 1869, Al Mahrousa was the first ever sail ship to cross the Suez Canal, holding Khedive Ismail and French Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III. Accompanying them were other royals including the Dutch prince and princess, as well as Austrian Franz Joseph, among others. A piano played by Eugenie at the opening is reportedly still on the ship in its original state.
- In 1912, Al Mahrousa was equipped with a telegraph machine.
- In 1919, the ship was returned to England where its base was extended by 27 feet.
- In 1939, Iranian Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi used the ship to travel to Egypt in order to marry King’s Farouk’s sister, Princess Fawziya.
- In 1949, the ship was upgraded in Italy to become one of the most advanced yachts in the world.
- In 1952, Al Mahrousa was used by King Farouk and his children to travel to Italy after he was deposed during the 23 July Revolution.
- In 1956, after returning to Egypt, Al Mahrousa’s name was changed to Al Horeya, after which it was used by president Gamal Abdel-Nasser in many seafaring excursion with several prominent world leaders.
- From 1955 to 1973, the ship was mainly used as a maritime training vessel for students.
- In 1975, president Anwar Al Sadat used the ship to travel to Jaffa to sign the peace agreement with Israel. He also used it to tour the canal during its inauguration of 1975. During the same year the ship took part in a naval exercise attended by Saudi King Faisal.
Al Mahrousa consists of five levels. The lower deck contains the fuel tanks, the reservoirs and all the ship’s sailing equipment. The main floor includes the kitchen, cargo hold, the Pharaonic Hall, the living room and the winter area.
In her book Farida, the Queen of Egypt: A Memoir of Love and Governance, Queen Farida describes a time when she had boarded the ship in 1976. “I clearly remember the beautiful ornaments, as the ship was decorated with golf handles. It was a magnificently decorated yacht and one of the most beautiful yachts in the world. Al Mahrousa was refurbished and retooled several times and it kept its international stature and historical value.”
The ship is considered to be one of the leading royal portable palaces. It includes world-class oil paintings and artefacts including priceless pieces of art. Egypt’s heritage is depicted in much of the ship’s decoration, which reflects the style of the ancient Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Arabian civilisations.
