About

Emin Pasha was truly one of the most extraordinary characters in Ugandan history. He was a doctor, naturalist, and linguist; an African at heart, Emin Pasha was a truly unique character among all the bravado and machismo of the colonial age. His aim was not to conquer but to understand and learn, and in doing so he respected and fell in love with this country. We cannot imagine a more appropriate and relevant person to name our hotel after.

His link to Uganda dates back to the late 1800’s, during the time of the “Scramble for Africa”. An explorer, physician, and linguist, he was also fascinated by anthropology, botany, zoology, and meteorology. And, more importantly, he was actively against the slave trade.

Born Eduard Carl Oscar Theodor Schnitzer in Germany, Emin Pasha was based for some time in Albania where he was in medical practice, putting his linguistic talent to good use, adding Turkish, Albanian, and Greek to his repertoire of western European languages.

He became the quarantine officer of the port, leaving only in 1870 to join the staff of Ismail Hakki Pasha, governor of northern Albania, in whose service he travelled extensively throughout the Ottoman Empire. In 1875, Emin Pasha reappeared on the scene in Cairo and then Khartoum.