EXTERIOR
Villa “Shahrazad” is in Hurghada, Egypt, the quarter of villas Mubarek 7, which is 2 km away from the old center of Hurghada Dahar, and 8 km away from El Guna‘s resorts. The house was built in 2007, fully equiped in 2012.
Villa is situated in a unique location – it is surrounded by the mountains, the sea, the desert. Energies of all the elements of nature here are sensed very powerfully. No one lived here ever, no any buildings were ever set up – the house is erected on salty sand of a desert, which was the Red Sea bottom formerly. Here, sandy landscape has formed after sea water dried up. You can find dried molluscs and sea-shells in every step. Therefore, we can say that the house is built up in… the very bottom of a primordial sea. The feeling is unforgettable – to live in a clear space, in an unpolluted morphic (informational) field, where one can hear his inner voice without any interference from outside, can look through the accumulated content of consciousness, can open up for new thoughts and ideas. The space of villa perfectly fits for the creative projects, seminars, workshops and retreats, healing activities, meditation and just for a very qualitative rest.
As the villa is situated in the western corner of the district, the sands of Arabian desert show up straight before the building. Open the gates, step to the other side of the street, and you will find yourself in a real desert. From south, the area is surrounded by the Red Sea mountains, perfectly seen from the villa. This mountain massiff has formed deep sandy canyons in a decay, and it is fun to take a drive there with an offroader, stopping for listening to silence. On the north side, the view to the Red Sea appears from any balcony of the villa. Paved street, where the house is situated, reaches the sea in 300 meters. In Hurghada, it is adviced to have a sunbath in specially arranged beaches, where your driver can bring you, though the “wild” beaches are close enough and, if having a wish, it is possible to have a swim there.
As the seasons change, hot and cool masses of air are formed, and strong warm winds rise, then the life in the villa resemble the one on a ship deck – the wind, gaining the power in the sea, blows out the most sophisticated melodies, as it hits the building. Strong winds raging during autumn and winter clear the mind from the old thoughts very well.
The call for the pray from the city minarets will reach you few times a day, on Fridays – the muslim weekend – all this merge into a mystic din, cleaning the space, joining earth and sky. But usually it is quiet in the villa. By day, the birds are singing (which is very exotic in the desert), and from dusk till dawn you can hear the chirr of grasshoppers and cicadas. The villa is often visited by the hawk residing in a neighbourhood. In autumn and spring, during the migration, flocks of travelling birds fly over the villa. It is exciting to observe flocks of storks and cranes just reaching the Africa‘s shoreline or ready to fly above the sea, while you‘re laying on the roof terasse. These birds can fly even at night, in the moonlight. The foxes live in the desert. The only creatures, which we have never happened to see during many years in these places – were the snakes and the scorpions.
The villa is surrounded by a garden of 10 ares territory, which is planted in the desert, in a soil, prepared according to the ancient canons of Egypt. In arabic and persian culture, where people have lived as nomads since ancient times, a garden in the sands, surrounded with a high fence and with a water source in the middle, is called pardis. Hence, originates the term “paradise”. The territory of the villa fits all the criteria of pardis: a high fence, all covered with colourful bushes of bougainvilleas, is guarding privacy of the guests, a blue pool, always clean, size of 15 meters long, 1,5 meters and 2 meters deep, outlined with the meanders (a stripe of tiles, symbolising the endless trip of life) of Greek god of the sea, Poseidon, lies in the centre of the courtyard. Pool zone, all covered with azure mandala-pattern tiles, creates the feeling of coolness even during a hot summer day. Throughout the summer months, the water temperature rises up to +28 C, and it comes down to +18 C in the wintertime. There are showers in the courtyard, next to the pool – we kindly ask our guests to take a shower before climbing into water, because everyone would be happy to bath in clean, minimally chlorinated water. Warm winds of the desert evaporate about 2 tons of pool water daily. We keep the pool impeccably clean by constantly adding this amount of fresh water there.
The pool is surrounded by the date-palms of Alexandria from two sides – with seven trees in each row. Every corner of the villa was created regarding to the ancient Egypt and Greek mythology: Apollo, the god of sun, the patron of culture and civilization, was born on the seventh day of the month under a palm-tree. Therefore, since the ancient times, the palm-tree is treated as a holy tree of Apollo, and number 7 – his symbol. Yellow colour of the house and the surrounding fence also symbolizes energy of the sun, intellect, joy of life, wealth and luxury. Villa‘s facade is decorated with a winged disc of the sun – the symbol of Egyptian sun god Amon Ra.
Yellow house, with blue sky and the pool in the background, creates a combination of colours, which is called the archetypal energy of Archangel Michael in the teaching of Aura-Soma colour therapy, and it symbolizes the cosmic principle “Thy will be done”. This composition of colours creates the state of security, clear mind, inner peace and ballance. The duet of light blue and light yellow suits perfectly for teaching, learning, positive thinking processes.
In the northside, the house is surrounded by the garden of hesperides (of citrus family). According to the Greek legend, far in a distant island, the nymphs Hesperides, daughters of Atlas, protect the sacred tree, maturing golden fruits of knowledge. This tree was given to goddess Hera as a wedding gift, when marrying Zeus the Thunderer, from the earth goddess Gaia. The never-sleeping dragon and sisters Hesperides protect the golden fruits – the gods‘ property – from the occasional inquisitives. Orange trees, tangerines, lime trees and lemon trees are grown in this corner of the garden. Divine scent of neroli spreads in the garden, when their tiny white flowers burst into bloom.
There‘s a banana grove in the eastside of the house. The Egypt‘s banana tree gives short and sweet fruits. When blooming out, and after being ripen in a tree, a big dark-red flower, little by little, shows a multi-level bunch of banana, kept inside. Young shoots replace the trees that already has blossomed and has given the fruits. The garden of banana tree extends with the alley of lemon eucalyptus (Eucalyptus citriodora). These strongly scented trees repel the insects and fill the air with negative ions and ozone, while evaporating essential oils in the heat. Different types of jasmines grow along the eastern bedrooms of the villa. The white flowers of Jasminum grandiflorum diffuse sweet, rich fragrance, so appreciated in the arab culture and in the world of aromatherapy. Fragrance becomes very intense at night, enveloping the villa with erotic aura of “A Thousand and One Nights”.
In the southern part of the garden, a collection of Egyptian fruit-trees grows: the fig trees, the mango trees, the pomegranates, the guavas, the pears, the apricotes, the olives. It is interesting to watch the vegetation cycle and productivity unusual for the westerners of these exotic plants. The paths and the arbors of the villa are kept from the sun by the green hedge of hibiscus, the decorative bushes, colourfully flowering acacias. A collection of aromatherapy plants embellish the terrace on the first floor: the aromatic frangipani trees (they are called “jasmines of Israel” in Egypt) make a parade of bunches of white and yellow flowers; levanders, rosemary, geranium, pepeppermint and spearmint green under the balconies; verbenas flower in the pots. All the area of the garden is evenly covered with the soft carpet of emerald-green african grass, brought from the plantations in the lowlands of Nile, and grown together with the whole sward in a freshly formed soil, consisting of few layers of different types of sand, black soil, and enriched with the Nile mud.
Generously watered garden creates a special micro-climate – cool, fresh, aromatic and full of life oasis in the sands of Arabian desert. Water was always a great value and a matter of luxury in the sunny Egypt. Though the villa is connected to the city‘s plumbing network, we buy large quantities of water extra from the water trucks, especially during the hot summer months. Fresh water reserves are stored in designated closed three storage tanks. Though the villa‘s guests never feel the lack of water, we please to use water carefully and not to leave the taps opened.
For the repose by the pool, there‘s a laticework arbor with the elements of arabesque used in the ornated wooden branchings. At night, the arbor is illuminated by the lanterns of islamic mosque style. It is nice to drink wine or tea, to have a quiet chat with friends here. Comfortable wooden chaise-longues with soft mattresses invite to settle down here for long, with a book in the hands, or just to watch carelessly the bottomless as always sky of Africa – light blue during the day and royal blue during the moonlight night. After dark, soft, diffused light, coming from bedouin style lanterns of terracotta, arranged around the fence and house facade, covers the villa with a romantic light. Like the birds of paradise, two peacock-shaped lamps mark the entrance to the villa. Illuminated from inside pool invites to swim under the stars during warm summer evenings.
In the villa terrasses, on the ground and the second floors, wide settees (called dika in arabian) and large tables are set there for the feasts, gatherings, creative activities of the guests, work in groups and various hobbies. The lovers of nature probably would not refuse the temptation to stretch themselves out on the soft settees at starry night – the constellations of North Sahara are visible incredibly bright in the villa, remote from the lights and bustle of the city. During full-moon nights in autumn, you can see the cranes and the storks, flying in triangle with the moon in the background.
If you long for silence, dreaming about a short escape from everyday routine and endless work, to stay in a good solitude (or in intimate company of the loved ones), if you keep planning, but never manage to find some time for yourself, to write a book, to make a painting, to think over your life and so on – the villa “Shahrazad” is a perfect place for that. We look forward to see you!
