Midnight At The Oasis
Midnight at The Oasis
Sunrise on The Great Sand Sea
Meet the Flintstones 21st Century
Bedroom Adrere Amellal
Siwi Man Photo by C. Stamba-Badial
Drinks by the Salt lake
This was were I stayed in Adrere Amellal view of the lake all around
Drinks at the Fire pit
i
Temple Amon
Adrere Amellal Bedroom
Dunes of The Great Sand Sea
Date Palms at Siwa
One of the many lounging nooks in Adrere Amellal
Locally handmade Kaftans by the Siwi Women
The natural spring pool at Adrere Amellal
Illuminated "Kershef " Wall a mix of rock salt & mud
Dinning under the palms Adrere Amelall
Sweet water oasis in the middle of the desert
Riding the dunes in the Great Sand Sea
Dinner in the middle of the desert
Dusk at Adrere Amelall
Magic dinning locations dotted around the property
Candle lit bed time
Sun setting over the dunes
“Oh that the desert were my dwelling place,
With only one fair spirit for my minster.
That I might forget the human race,
And hating no one, love her only.”
Lord Byron
In the magical Great Sand Sea of Egypt's western Sahara on the boarder to Libya lies a diamond named Siwa. An Oasis filled with history and legends,such as the Temple of the Oracle of Amun~ RA. Were Alexander The Great consulted the oracle in order to seek confirmation that he was the son of Zeus and the rightful ruler of Egypt. Or something like that.
I was invited about 8 years ago to a wedding in Cairo by dear friends of mine. Included was a trip to Siwa a couple of days before the wedding, staying at the amazing eco lodge Adrere Amellal. The love project of visionary Dr Mounir Neamatalla a very elegant egyptian environmentalist. The words eco lodge dont always make me jump with joy, but a trip to the Egyptian desert I could not miss .
When we arrived we all had a big smile on our faces as we took in the scene before us. The sacred white mountain towers over the property with views on a vast salt lake , date palms and in the distance the dunes of the great sand sea. Dotted around this setting are traditional buildings made by combining rock salt and mud called "Kershef", 40 rooms all furnished in locally artisanal furnishing, beds made out of palm with Egyptian cotton sheets and fluffy pillows. Bedouin carpets and beeswax candles everywhere there is no electricity, no phones, no air conditioning or wifi.
Really a place to give in to the mystical call of the desert, at night they light up all the pathways with candles and dinner is served in the most amazing locations all over the property with the light of the stars as company. Date souffle served on silver plates and wine drank out of crystal glasses, the food was amazing, all the staff are local Siwi whose origins are Berber. On one night they came and played traditional Bedouin music , they danced like mad and so did we! When ready to retire, A member of staff would accompany you with a lantern to your room that glowed with candles, I would slip myself into the soft sheets with the breeze of the desert lulling me to sleep.
Morning starts with a delicious breakfast over looking the lake and then preparation for a ride on 4 X 4 in to the Sand Sea so called because it was actually a sea, you can see fossils everywhere, as you ride over the dunes driven to mad perfection by the charming and hilarious locals its an exhilarating experience. They would stop and give you a board to surf the dunes if you wished or just sit and take in the unforgettable experience, everyday they planned a new surprise in the desert, which I would not give away as these surprises are truly special.
Once back at the lodge there are many more things to do, you can float on the lake or swim in the natural green pool under the palms, or for some you can go riding in the desert. There was also a trip into town to meet the local women whose embroidery is magnificent all supported by Mounir Neamatalla and his also very elegant sister Laila, they produce kaftans, home furnishings and jewellery done by the local community. There is also a lot of history in the area and again I will not divulge too much here as to make you want to go and see for yourself but one of things is have swim in Cleopatra's Bath.
Thank you Dr Mounir for creating such a wonderful place and thank you my dear friends for letting be part of such an amazing journey. When are we going back?
Adrere Amellal
Siwa
Photos via above websites & Flickr.
More Posts from Visionofsplendor and Others
Happy New Year 2012
A new dawn is here, may it be blessed, may you have the strength and courage to make the changes you always wanted to make, may your dreams come true and your spirit soar. Remember you are not alone, 2012 here we come! Happy Happy New Year to you all! With Love xoxo
"Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself."
Rumi
Masculine Edge
1. Craftsman 1470pc Professional Tool Set
Ferrari via GQ
Kitchen via Erin Martin Projects
Tom Dixon Lights
Miles Redd Kitchen
Todd Romano Living Room
Italian Style via The Sartorialist
Men's Dressing Room
Tom Kundig Pool and Gym via AD
Martin Gee Apartment
Office Source Unknown
1938 Alfa Romeo's Lungo Touring Coupe
Gio Ponti Blue Diamond Living Room
Denver Art Museum North Building by Gio Ponti
Gio Ponti
Francisco Costa Apartment Via AD
Miles Redd Bedroom
Mad Men's Don Draper
Pinstripe Arm Chair via Inside Man Apartment Therapy
1963 Aston Martin DB5 via GQ
Pinstripe and Silver Via Apartment Therapy
Douglas Friedman Office Space
Roman & Williams Living Room Elizabeth NYC
Roman & Williams Black and Caramel Kitchen Elizabeth NYC
Roman & Williams Office NYC
Hank Azaria Dressing Room via AD
Hank Azaria Office/ Games Room Via AD
Kitchen via Apartment Therapy
AMC's Rubicon TV Show
Rakovsky Loft via Anima
Restoration Hardware Aviator Office
Ryan Gosling via GQ
Tom Kundig Living via AD
The Vision of Christopher Jenner
© Jenner Studio
Rising star Christopher Jenner is one talented man, born in South Africa based out of London the skill of craftsmanship and future vision of design is exciting. Like the concept of how he sees the future of Eurostar, blending a sort of futuristic and vintage feel to create unique look that you want to experience
His work is well know for the design of the Diptyque Candle stores in Leadenhall Market London mixing traditional Victorian architecture, stained glass and English brass with modern aspects of colour. The Bleecker street shop in New York is filled with over 200 hand painted mirrors, Art Deco inspired metal ceiling, unusual and elegant tables and display cabinets. Jenner studio has created some seriously bejewelled splendor here. Not only you want to buy the candles but you wish you could take the whole shop with you. His next project is the upcoming opening of Diptyque in Chicago and there are many other interesting projects that you can have a look on his website.
Keep on Creating xo
All images via Christopher Jenner
Christopher Jenner Studio
Top Floor
Newman Hire Building
16 The Vale
London
W3 7SB
Tel 020 8746 1249
Email Info@christopher-jenner.com
Oh Herve!
I would kill for a Herve Van Der Straeten piece, I know its a bit extreme but anyone that sees his work feels the same way.
Studied painting at Le Ecoles des Beaux Arts, he started his career with jewellery design which am a collector of and always get such nice compliments on. His jewellery have a very architectural and geometric look to them , made of bronze or gold which give a beautiful glow against the skin.
He then transitioned on to Furniture and lightning , made in house by his highly skilled craftsmen , with such exquisite precision and meticulous attention to detail , I am sure that his work will be a future classic.
Herve has received numerous awards including the esteemed Chevalier des Art et des Lettres and the L’Entreprise de Patrimoine Vivant .
His line is represented by the wonderful Ralph Pucci International with location both in New York or LA, or you can make an appointment at Herve Van Der Straeten Gallery in Paris. For the Jewellery you can buy it at Neiman Marcus , Bergdorf Goodman in the USA or Erickson Beamon in London.
Just Splendid xo
Image Sources and where to buy,
www.vanderstraeten.fr
www.ralphpucci.net
www.bergdorfgoodman.com/search.jhtml?N=0&Ntt=Herve+Van+Der+Straeten&_requestid=1541
www.ericksonbeamon.com
Read All About It
I love books, it would be so wonderful to have my own library but with a built in database that curates your books according to the choices you put in and of course then delivers them to you onto your coffee table with a butler to make you drinks.
Back to reality, I have selected a variety of choices all of them which intrigue me for different reasons, some for its images others for their design aspects, others to learn something and some are from my favorite Authors. There are so many to choose from so am sure I will do several of these postings.
All books are available at the following sellers,
www.amazon.com
www.rizzoliusa.com
www.barnesandnoble.com
Follow my blog with Bloglovin
INTERMISSION: Made by Hand- Martinez Cigars NYC
VIDEO BY bureauofcommongoods.com
LOVE THIS XO
London Culture Galore Autumn 2012
I love London in September & October the sun is shinning, no really it is! The city is really having an amazing year, Jubilee and Olympics and now Art, Design, Theatre and anything in between take centre court. This is just a very small selection of many upcoming exhibitions.
For more information on and to purchase tickets click on the links below .
Let the Culture Games Begin! xo
www.somersethouse.org.uk
Valentino:Master of Couture
www.tate.org.uk
Pre Raphaelites Victorian Avant Garde
www.hamiltons.com
Murray Fredericks Hector
www.halcyongallery.com
Pedro Paricio Diary of An artist and Other Stories 2007-2012
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