This page was last updated on 07 Aug 2008
!Welcome to Egypt With Mara
ABOUT MARA
Who am I? I am an Irishwoman who keeps reinventing herself! I am a different persona to different people. Born in Limerick and lived half my life in Cork, I am a proud mother of two sons, Stephen & Jonathan and equally proud grandmother to Hayley & Callum. I moved to Luxor in Egypt (without giving it a whole lot of thought to be honest) in 2003 where (also without much thought) I bought a piece of land and built Mara House, which consists of 9 apts. and on the ground floor (opening in June 2008) a restaurant and bar..."Restaurant Salahadeen" - the latter being the brainchild of my brilliant, beautiful son, Stephen, who directed the project!
During my time in Egypt I have gone through many personal changes, many learning curves and I am quite sure there are many more to come! I have a passable knowledge of the arabic language and, I hope, a rather good understanding of the Egyptian people and their culture. I fell in love with Egypt the moment the plane door opened. I would be lying if I said it has all been plain sailing here...it has not but I think I can safely say that I have found my feet and regained my balance!
MARA'S DREAM (2008)
To share with you the Egypt I fell in love with, the ancient mystical land of your dreams and the best that modern Egypt has to offer.
To make Mara House a haven for travellers who want to explore and experience Luxor and it's sacred monuments free from the street hassle which, unfortunately, Luxor has received much bad press for.
To share (with any one who is interested!) my own personal understanding of the ancient monuments, the wisdom of the ancients (such as I understand) and their place in the Universe and how they affect and influence our lives in the 21st Century,
To run a restaurant - Restaurant Salahadeen, where visitors can feast on real fresh food cooked and presented in traditional Egyptian family ways. No freezing, no preservatives, no colourings, no fast foods....just honest to God fresh unprocessed food and great Egyptian wine! Yes, it takes hours to cook so advance reservations are recommended! To serve this wonderful food in an atmosphere and space which is designed to take the visitor back to another time...the time of Salahadeen and the Mamluks who came after him.
All the above is a pretty tall order but I have made a start! And with your friendship and support my dreams for Mara House will keep evolving. Hopefully on your return visits you will notice the growth and changes!
Contact Information for Mara House & "Egypt With Mara"
- Telephone
- Egypt +2 0105462480 (currently in Ireland August 2008)
- Ireland +353 (0)86 8936972
Email Mara
- Address (don't post anything)
- Luxor, off Sharah El Salakhana, Salah El Deen Al Auby, Mara House
How to find Mara House:
Walking: Station Street is an extremely wide street running from Luxor Temple to the the train station. Go in the right hand door of the front entrance of the train station, walk through security and turn left, down the stairs, turn right, walk straight ahead and up the stairs out onto the street. You are now behind the train station. The street you are now on is Salakhana St. (but you may see a sign saying "Nozha St" they changed the name but everyone calls it Salakhana St.)
Turn right and walk along Salakhana St. It soon opens out into a two way street system (wide). Keep walking for about 5 mins and you will come to a large open green area on the left. Here you will see some coaches and buses. The big pink/peach building is Mara House. There are 3 stories not counting the roof terrace or the ground floor.
If travelling by taxi...tell the driver you want to go to Salakhana St.. and if you can't see the house get the driver to call my number. 0105462480
- Electronic mail
- General Information: email me