Luxor Palace

This is the magnificent Luxor Palace, set upon the Corniche, next to Luxor Temple,looking West across the Nile.

Inside, 2 sisters, Sofia and Louday, lived for 60 years, in somewhat of a time warp, surrounded by possessions from the past.

Sofia (82) and Louday (79), rarely stepping outside of the front door, only to attend Church or watch passers by in their dressing gowns. I had the pleasure of meeting them and talking to them a few times. Frail and delicate, their paper like skin, in desperate need of sunlight. They were very intelligent, had their finger on the pulse and sent an air of a once magic and historical past, through their handshakes.

Their father, Tawfik Pasha Andraos, was an MP under King Farouk allowing them to have a privileged lifestyle. There has always been talk of the remains of the families past and the treasures that were inside, but only a few people went inside and knew.

One week ago, the shocking news of the deaths of the 2, never married sisters, swept through Egypt. No one could believe that these famous ladies had met their deaths, in their own home and in such an evil way.
Newspaper reports said they had been killed, but rumors are now say they died of natural causes...

I had always hoped for a photo of the 'Doll like' sisters, sadly this will never be.

The Palace remains for now, shrouded in secrecy and rumours, will we ever know the truth, of how they met their fate on the Coptic Christmas day? The whereabouts of the treasure, antiques and possessions? It has lost it's heartbeat and soul.

The other big question is, will the Palace stay? People are already united to ensure the building remains as it is. An identical building adjacent to it, was within the last 2/3 years, demolished as part of the Luxor regeneration programme.

God bless Sofia and Louday