Travel: Temples, tombs and teabags

Londoner Emma Levine had been looking forward to Luxor’s street markets, traditional cafés and historical treasures. So how did she end up playing darts and eating fish and chips? Welcome to southern Egypt’s Little Britain…

“Who was the first British football manager to twice win the double?”, asks the quizmaster. Jane, Louie and I scratch our heads, shoot concerned glances at each other, and jot down the first name that seems vaguely plausible. I’m feeling befuddled, perhaps because this typically English scene isn’t taking place in London or Liverpool, but a restaurant in Luxor, and it’s 80 degrees outside.

Over the centuries, Luxor has been no stranger to invading foreign armies. I’m sitting among the latest group of visitors to make its mark on the ancient city and struggling to find the answers to questions on English football. On these streets around Sharia Al-Rawda AlSherifa on Luxor’s East Bank, it’s easier to find Yorkshire pudding and shepherd’s pie than falafel and ful. In such a small city, the 1,000-strong British contingent is impossible to ignore. Their shops, signs and restaurants dominate parts of the city. But why are they here? There are no beaches in Luxor. There’s limited culture, no nightlife, and no employment opportunities.

A few hours before I found myself being roped into a decidedly un-Egyptian pub quiz, I’d been sipping mint tea at El Mahrosa, a traditional coffee house. While locals in galabiyyas smoked shisha and played dominoes, I was distracted by a bicycle basket stuffed full of Dairy Milk chocolate bars and Walkers crisps. It belonged to the shop next door, Arkwrights, where I found owner Angie Morris tending to shelves full of Kellogg’s cornflakes and Tetley teabags.