El Horria

El Horria (originally called Mahroussa) was a Royal Yacht built for Isma'il Pasha, the Khedive of Egypt in 1865.

It was built by the Samuda Brothers on the River Thames and designed along the same lines as HMY Victoria and Albert II, and remained in service with the Egyptian royal family until 1951.

It had two significant alterations, being lengthened by 40 feet in 1872, with a further 16.5 feet being added in 1905. The 1905 rebuild was undertaken at the Pointhouse Shipyard of A & J Inglis in Glasgow, Scotland and included the replacement of its two paddle wheels with triple screws powered by steam turbines built by Inglis at their Warroch Street Engine Works in Glasgow. Inglis were one of the first companies to be granted a license by the Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company, Wallsend for the construction of steam turbines in their own works.

In 1869, the Mahroussa gained fame as the first ship to pass through the newly completed Suez Canal as part of the opening ceremony.

After the abdication of King Farouk and his arrival in Europe he sent back the yacht to Egypt with all the crew and the equipment, it was taken over by the Egyptian government for use as a naval training ship, and was given her current name. It spent most of its career in the eastern Mediterranean, but did participate in the International Naval Review held to commemorate the bicentennial of the United States of America.

Presently, the ship is cared for by the Egyptian Navy, and is occasionally used as a Presidential Yacht. The ship goes to sea about three times a year, usually for just a day.