Egypt is the most populated country in the Middle East and the third most populous on the African continent. It is home to an estimated 83 million people and Muslims make up about 90% of the population, the majority of whom are Sunni, although there is a well-represented Shi’a minority and a significant proportion who belong to native Sufi orders. Christians represent around 10% of the population and Egyptian Muslims and Christians live as neighbours, sharing a common history and national identity. The language spoke in Egypt is a local variant of Arabic, known as Egyptian Arabic or Masri.
Once Upon a Time in a Kingdom Far, Far, Away…
Egyptian culture dates back six thousand years and Ancient Egypt was among the earliest civilizations known to man. This strikingly complex and stable civilization influenced later cultures of Europe, the Middle East and other African countries. Ancient Egyptians believed that life, sexuality and rebirth were deeply entwined and many modern day historians and philosophers would argue that Ancient Egypt was built on a foundation of love. When it comes to ancient tragic romances/romantic comedies, Caesar, Cleopatra and Marc Anthony make Oscar-worthy stars of one of history’s greatest and most turbulent love affairs.
High Fidelity
Marriage was voluntary and often monogamous in ancient Egypt; polygamy was not illegal, it was just expensive. Adultery was considered a serious crime and punishments for those caught straying from the family fold including cutting off of the nose! Love poems and erotic texts abounded and ancient Egyptian men were neither shy nor afraid to demonstrate their love by writing books, poetry and interpreting dreams based on matters of the heart.
Ancient Egyptians were strong believers in symbolism, using the lotus flower and the mandrake to represent love. The hieroglyphs used to depict love looked like this:
mrwt – love (noun)
mr(i) – love (verb)
Get it On!
Beauty and cleanliness held great importance and ancient Egyptians bathed daily. Women curled their hair and shadowed their eyes. It’s clear that the ancient Egyptians were comfortable with their sensuality and loved and celebrated life to the full. In ancient Egypt, singles and married couples made love practically non-stop and even believed in sex in the afterlife. Masculinity and femininity were interwoven with the ability to conceive and bear children. Ancient Egyptian traditions and laws also granted women considerable rights when it came to marriage, divorce, inheritance and trading.
Fast Forward 6000 Years…
Today, many aspects of Egypt’s ancient culture interact with newer elements, including the influence of modern Western culture. Egyptians still tend to marry in their twenties. It is a challenge to be unmarried today in Egypt, especially if a woman is “growing old” according to Egyptian customs. This means any unmarried woman past her mid-twenties can face some tough questions and is all too often labelled an “anis” or spinster. Fertility rates in Egypt are considered low these days, thought to correlate with the low female labour force participation rates, and the rise in family planning, which has reduced the average Egyptian family size over the past two decades.
Egyptian women’s rights have been steadily growing since the 1970’s, thanks in part to the relentless lobbying of First Lady Suzanne Mubarak to advance women’s status. The Egyptian National Council for Women was formed in 2000 and the forthcoming 2010 people’s assembly elections are set to include 56 seats for female politicians.
Arranged marriages and Salon Marriages, (where first dates are arranged and the families of the would-be-weds hold their breath and hope that both parties fall head over heels for each other) are common practice in modern Egypt, although they’re by no means the only ways young lovebirds unite.
Did You Know…?
Cairo is Africa’s largest city and has been famous for centuries as a centre of learning, culture and commerce. Egypt has the highest number of Nobel Laureates in Africa and the Arab World and Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz was the first Arabic-language writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.
“She is like a star goddess arising
at the beginning of a happy new year;
brilliantly white, bright skinned;
with beautiful eyes for gazing,
with the sweetest lips for speaking.”
