| Part of the LGBT rights series | ||
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Civil unions and registered partnerships
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Unclear legal status | ||
See also
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Notes
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 LGBT portal | ||
Egypt does not recognize same-sex marriages or civil unions.
| Part of the LGBT rights series |
| LGBT portal |
Egypt does not recognize same-sex marriages or civil unions.
According to common interpretations of the Torah, Leviticus 18:3 alludes to the practice that Ancient Egypt permitted two women or two men to marry each other. The best known case of possible homosexuality in Ancient Egypt is that of the two high officials Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum. Both men lived and served under Pharaoh Nyuserre Ini during the Fifth Dynasty. [1] Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum each had families of their own with children and wives, but when they died their families apparently decided to bury them together in the same mastaba tomb. In this mastaba, several paintings depict both men embracing each other and touching their faces nose-on-nose. These depictions leave plenty of room for speculation, because in Ancient Egypt the nose-on-nose touching normally represented a kiss. [1] In other pictures, Khnumhotep occupies the position usually designated for a wife, leading to speculations that the men had a romantic relationship.
Egyptologists and historians disagree about how to interpret the paintings of Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum. Some scholars believe that the paintings reflect an example of homosexuality between two married men and prove that the ancient Egyptians accepted same-sex relationships. [2] Other scholars disagree and interpret the scenes as an evidence that Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum were twins, even possibly conjoined twins. [1] It remains unclear what exact view the ancient Egyptians fostered about homosexuality and same-sex unions. The tomb inscription of Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum may suggest that homosexuality was accepted, and ancient Egyptian documents never clearly state that same-sex relationships were seen as reprehensible or despicable. Thus, it was very likely tolerated, as there has never been proof suggesting otherwise. [1] [3]
The Siwa Oasis, located in the far-western parts of the country between the Qattara Depression and the Great Sand Sea, is of special interest to anthropologists because of its historical acceptance of male homosexuality and rituals celebrating same-sex marriages. [4] [5] German egyptologist Georg Steindorff explored the Siwa Oasis in 1900 and reported that homosexual relations were common and often extended to a form of marriage, known in Siwi as áʕṛus (ⴰⵄⵕⵓⵙ): "The feast of marrying a boy was celebrated with great pomp, and the money paid for a boy sometimes amounted to fifteen pounds, while the money paid for a woman was a little over one pound." [6] Mahmud Mohammad Abd Allah, writing of Siwan customs for the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology in 1917, commented that although Siwan men could take up to four wives, "Siwan customs allow a man but one boy to whom he is bound by a stringent code of obligations." [7] In the late 1940s, a Siwan merchant told visiting British novelist Robin Maugham that the Siwan women were "badly neglected", but that Siwan men "will kill each other for [a] boy. Never for a woman", although as Maugham noted, these marriages had become illegal by then. [8]
These unions involved the pairing of adolescent boys and unmarried adult men, belonging to a warrior caste protecting the Oasis from desert marauders and working as agricultural laborers. Among the warrior caste, these same-sex relationships were formally recognized when the man offered the boy's father a gift as in a heterosexual marriage. [9]
Egyptian archaeologist Ahmed Fakhry, who studied the Siwi people, observed in 1973 that "while the Siwans were still living inside their walled town, none of these bachelors was allowed to spend the night in the town and had to sleep outside the gates...Under such circumstances it is not surprising that homosexuality was common among them....Up to the year 1928, it was not unusual that some kind of written agreement, which was sometimes called a marriage contract, was made between two males; but since the visit of King Fuad I of Egypt to this oasis it has been completely forbidden...However, such agreements continued, but in great secrecy, and without the actual writing, until the end of World War II. Now the practice is not followed." [10]
The Constitution of Egypt does not expressly forbid same-sex marriage. Article 10 of the Constitution states: "Family is the basis of society and is based on religion, morality, and patriotism. The state protects its cohesion and stability, and the consolidation of its values." [11] Personal and family law in Egypt (e.g. the laws concerning marriage, divorce and inheritance) are governed by the religious law of the individual. As the religious law of all officially recognized religions in Egypt (chief among them Islam and Coptic Orthodox Christianity) do not recognize same-sex relationships as legitimate, Egyptian law only recognizes a marriage between a man and a woman. Civil unions (Arabic : اتحاد مدني, ittiḥād madaniyy, pronounced [it.tiˈħaːdˈmadanij.j] ) providing same-sex couples with a subset of the rights and benefits of marriage are not recognized in Egypt.
In December 2014, an appeals court reduced sentences given to eight men accused of hosting a same-sex marriage from three year's imprisonment to one year. The men were charged on "inciting debauchery and offending public morality", [12] [13] after a video was posted to YouTube in September 2014 showing two of the men exchanging rings on a boat on the Nile. [14]
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal sex. As of 2024, marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 36 countries, with a total population of 1.3 billion people. The most recent country to legalise same-sex marriage is Greece.
Siwi is the easternmost Berber language, spoken in the western Egyptian desert by an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people in the oases of Siwa and Gara, near the Libyan border.
The Siwa Oasis is an urban oasis in Egypt. It is situated between the Qattara Depression and the Great Sand Sea in the Western Desert, 50 kilometres (31 mi) east of the Egypt–Libya border and 560 kilometres (350 mi) from the Egyptian capital city of Cairo. It is famed from its role in ancient Egypt as the home to an oracle of Amun, the ruins of which are a popular tourist attraction, giving it the ancient name Oasis of Amun-Ra, after the major Egyptian deity.
Nose piercing is the piercing of the skin or cartilage which forms any part of the nose, normally for the purpose of wearing jewelry, called a nose-jewel. Among the different varieties of nose piercings, the nostril piercing is the most common.
Societal attitudes towards same-sex relationships have varied over time and place. Attitudes to male homosexuality have varied from requiring males to engage in same-sex relationships to casual integration, through acceptance, to seeing the practice as a minor sin, repressing it through law enforcement and judicial mechanisms, and to proscribing it under penalty of death. In addition, it has varied as to whether any negative attitudes towards men who have sex with men have extended to all participants, as has been common in Abrahamic religions, or only to passive (penetrated) participants, as was common in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Female homosexuality has historically been given less acknowledgment, explicit acceptance, and opposition. The widespread concept of homosexuality as a sexual orientation and sexual identity is a relatively recent development, with the word itself being coined in the 19th century.
The following is the timeline of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) history.
Dakhla Oasis or Dakhleh Oasis, is one of the seven oases of Egypt's Western Desert. Dakhla Oasis lies in the New Valley Governorate, 350 km (220 mi.) from the Nile and between the oases of Farafra and Kharga. It measures approximately 80 km (50 mi) from east to west and 25 km (16 mi) from north to south.
LGBT history dates back to the first recorded instances of same-sex love and sexuality of ancient civilizations, involving the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) peoples and cultures around the world. What survives after many centuries of persecution—resulting in shame, suppression, and secrecy—has only in more recent decades been pursued and interwoven into more mainstream historical narratives.
Senusret II was the fourth pharaoh of the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt. He ruled from 1897 BC to 1878 BC. His pyramid was constructed at El-Lahun. Senusret II took a great deal of interest in the Faiyum oasis region and began work on an extensive irrigation system from Bahr Yussef through to Lake Moeris through the construction of a dike at El-Lahun and the addition of a network of drainage canals. The purpose of his project was to increase the amount of cultivable land in that area. The importance of this project is emphasized by Senusret II's decision to move the royal necropolis from Dahshur to El-Lahun where he built his pyramid. This location would remain the political capital for the 12th and 13th Dynasties of Egypt. Senusret II was known by his prenomen Khakheperre, which means "The Ka of Re comes into being". The king also established the first known workers' quarter in the nearby town of Senusrethotep (Kahun).
Bahariya Oasis is a depression and a naturally rich oasis in the Western Desert of Egypt. It is approximately 370 km away from Cairo. The roughly oval valley extends from northeast to southwest, has a length of 94 km, a maximum width of 42 km and covers an area of about 2000 km².
Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum were two male ancient Egyptian royal servants. The men shared the title of Overseer of the Manicurists in the Palace of King Nyuserre Ini, sixth pharaoh of the Fifth Dynasty, reigning during the second half of the 25th century BC. They were buried together at Saqqara and are listed as "royal confidants" in their joint tomb. They are notable for their unusual depiction in Egyptian records, often interpreted as the first recorded same-sex couple.
Egyptians speak a continuum of dialects. The predominant dialect in Egypt is Egyptian Colloquial Arabic or Masri/Masry, which is the vernacular language. Literary Arabic is the official language and the most widely written. The Coptic language is used primarily by Egyptian Copts and it is the liturgical language of Coptic Christianity.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Egypt face severe challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. There are reports of widespread discrimination and violence towards openly LGBT people within Egypt, with police frequently prosecuting gay and transgender individuals.
Articles related to Modern Egypt include:
This is a history of same-sex unions in cultures around the world. Various types of same-sex unions have existed, ranging from informal, unsanctioned, and temporary relationships to highly ritualized unions that have included marriage. State-recognized same-sex unions have recently become more widely accepted, with various countries recognizing same-sex marriages or other types of unions. A celebrated achievement in LGBT history occurred when Queen Beatrix signed a law making Netherlands the first country to legalize same-sex marriage.
Ahmed Mahmoud Moussa (1934–1998) was an Egyptian Egyptologist. Born in Damietta on 15 August 1934, Moussa received his B.A. in Egyptology in 1959 from Cairo University, and his PhD from the Eötvös Loránd University at Budapest in 1995.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Africa are in most countries very poor in comparison to the Americas, Western Europe and Oceania.
Homosexuality in ancient Egypt is a disputed subject within Egyptology. Historians and egyptologists alike debate what kinds of views the ancient Egyptians' society fostered about homosexuality. Only a handful of direct clues survive, and many possible indications are vague and subject to speculation.
The pyramid of Khui is an ancient Egyptian funerary structure datable to the early First Intermediate Period and located in the royal necropolis of Dara, near Manfalut in Middle Egypt and close to the entrance of the Dakhla Oasis. It is generally attributed to Khui, a kinglet belonging either to the 8th Dynasty or a provincial nomarch proclaiming himself king in a time when central authority had broken down, c. 2150 BC. The pyramid complex of Khui included a mortuary temple and a mud brick enclosure wall which, like the main pyramid, are now completely ruined.
Segerseni was an ancient Egyptian or Nubian chieftain of Nubia, likely reigning concurrently with the end of the 11th and beginning of the 12th Dynasty during the early Middle Kingdom.
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