Nile Cruiser SS Sudan That Inspired Agatha Christie Sails on despite Virus

Steam Ship Sudan cruises the Nile in Egypt, a boat built for the Egyptian royal family in 1885 and transformed into a cruise liner in 1921 - AFP
Steam Ship Sudan cruises the Nile in Egypt, a boat built for the Egyptian royal family in 1885 and transformed into a cruise liner in 1921 - AFP
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Nile Cruiser SS Sudan That Inspired Agatha Christie Sails on despite Virus

Steam Ship Sudan cruises the Nile in Egypt, a boat built for the Egyptian royal family in 1885 and transformed into a cruise liner in 1921 - AFP
Steam Ship Sudan cruises the Nile in Egypt, a boat built for the Egyptian royal family in 1885 and transformed into a cruise liner in 1921 - AFP

More than a century after it first cruised the glittering waters of the Nile, the Steam Ship Sudan draws tourists following the trail of legendary crime novelist Agatha Christie.

The SS Sudan, which towers over the traditional wooden sailing boats in Egypt's southern city of Aswan, inspired the British author sometimes dubbed the "Queen of Crime" to pen one of her most famous works in 1937, "Death on the Nile".

The whodunit tells the story of Christie's famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, investigating murder among the well-heeled travelers as they cruise the Nile.

"Agatha Christie's trip aboard the steamer, the atmosphere and its route... inspired her to begin writing the first chapters," said Amir Attia, the cruise ship's director, AFP reported.

Built for the Egyptian royal family in 1885 and transformed into a cruise liner in 1921, the SS Sudan hosted the novelist with her second husband, archaeologist Max Mallowan, in 1933.

Among the ship's 23 rooms and suites, Attia says the writer's room is still "the most popular".

Passengers are whisked away on Christie's original itinerary, stopping at the same ancient archaeological sites, albeit with a difference -- the liner now runs on diesel and solar power instead of coal.

A staff of 67 keeps the vessel shipshape, and a luxury eight-day trip also including stays in two historic hotels sets travelers back around $4,000, but there is a long waiting list to stay in the Christie cabin.

"There are booking requests for up to two years in advance," he said.

While Egypt's key tourism industry has been hit hard by Covid-19 restrictions -- with revenues slashed by more than a fifth from 2019-2020 -- the ship's staff are insistent the pandemic will not sink the historic vessel.

"My product is unique," Attia said. "Egypt as a tourist destination will never die down."

The SS Sudan has faced crises before.

It was left to rot for decades after World War II, but was rescued and refitted in 1991, before being abandoned and then repaired a second time in 2000.

Last year the boat was initially stuck in port -- but it started operating as soon as rules allowed.

"The SS Sudan was the first cruise ship to re-open for business in October," Attia said.

"We immediately got so many reservations... that we had to knock a few back because we're overbooked."

Staff hope that Christie's story can work its magic again to draw new visitors.

A big-budget film version -- directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh, along with Hollywood stars Annette Bening, Russell Brand and Gal Gadot -- is due for release in late 2021, a followup to the 2017 Christie adaption, "Murder on the Orient Express".

The last stop on the cruise is the Old Cataract Hotel, which over the years has hosted guests ranging from Britain's Winston Churchill to Egyptian Nobel Prize for Literature winner, Naguib Mahfouz, said Selim Shawer, the hotel manager.

The hotel too has a small exhibition dedicated to Christie, including the rocking chair and desk where she wrote.

"It is an attraction in itself for fans of Hercule Poirot," said Shawer.

"Even people who are not staying in our hotel come to take photos with the chair."



Japan's 400,000-follower 'Insta-gran' Dies Aged 97

(FILES) This file picture taken on January 16, 2018 shows Kimiko Nishimoto posing next to a picture of her on the sliding window of her house in the western Japanese city of Kumamoto. (Photo by Behrouz MEHRI / AFP)
(FILES) This file picture taken on January 16, 2018 shows Kimiko Nishimoto posing next to a picture of her on the sliding window of her house in the western Japanese city of Kumamoto. (Photo by Behrouz MEHRI / AFP)
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Japan's 400,000-follower 'Insta-gran' Dies Aged 97

(FILES) This file picture taken on January 16, 2018 shows Kimiko Nishimoto posing next to a picture of her on the sliding window of her house in the western Japanese city of Kumamoto. (Photo by Behrouz MEHRI / AFP)
(FILES) This file picture taken on January 16, 2018 shows Kimiko Nishimoto posing next to a picture of her on the sliding window of her house in the western Japanese city of Kumamoto. (Photo by Behrouz MEHRI / AFP)

A Japanese great-grandmother with 400,000 Instagram followers who shot to fame for her goofy self-portraits after taking up photography aged 72 has died, her son said on Thursday.

Kimiko Nishimoto, who died this week at the age of 97, told AFP in a 2018 interview that "you can take photos no matter how old you get".

"Wherever it is, in your house, outside, or in your bed, you can do it. That is the nice thing about a camera," she said.

Dubbed the "selfie queen" by Japanese media, Nishimoto's posts showed her in various candid poses -- from riding a broom like Harry Potter to imitating an off-duty sumo wrestler on their fifth beer of the night.

"Our mother always created her work with a smile," a post from her son Kazutami Nishimoto said on her Instagram account.

"We are deeply grateful to everyone who visited her photography exhibitions held across the country, to those who shared warm words of encouragement through Instagram... and to all who supported her warmly throughout her journey."

Nishimoto's son teaches photography classes, which his mother started taking in retirement.

"Though she began photography at the age of 72, she was blessed with countless encounters, which enriched this third chapter of her life tremendously," he said.

Nishimoto appeared on national television as her online following grew and was interviewed by major news outlets.

But her more out-there visual scenarios were also the cause of some confusion over the years.

One snap -- showing her wrapped in a garbage bag, as if she had been discarded -- drew criticism from people who didn't know she was involved in its set-up.

"It's not like ideas just suddenly pop into my head but wherever I go I think about what it would be fun to dress up as in that place," she said in 2018.