One of our girls was going to Egypt for a long time - she worked well, behaved herself exemplarily, did not buy anything superfluous for herself. And thanks to such a righteous life, she saved up money for a two-week vacation in a five-star hotel on the Red Sea.

And so she walks along the luxurious corridor to the luxurious room, confidently pressing her heels into the luxurious carpet. And behind her, a handsome chocolate porter is dragging her suitcases. Even more black, with a white smile, fragrant with oriental aromas, the receptionist waits in an open room.

The girl, as she was taught, gives the porter an Egyptian pound for tea, and the porter says something in English, opening the doors of the minibar, turning on the air conditioner, demonstrating the bathroom. And our heroine smiles back at him: "Thank you, yes."

The porter continues. And she told him this too: "Yes." Here it must be said that this was almost the only English word that she knew. The receptionist says something again, a little more confused, as it seemed to her. Probably, the pound is also waiting ... "Yes, I'll get it now ..."

She hands him a piece of paper, but he shakes his head negatively, pointing his finger first at himself, then at her. "Not enough, probably. Well, yes, now I'll look again ... Yes."

But he again shakes his head negatively, gets on his knees, presses his hand to his heart, mutters something hot, hot, and then rushes at her, begins to kiss and undress ...

Here, of course, there is a clear misunderstanding due to ignorance of the language. Nevertheless, this case is typical.

Egyptians usually explain why men all over the world like Russian girls like this: "Firstly, they are very beautiful. Secondly, they take care of themselves even in small things. Thirdly, they are good in bed. Fourthly, they are excellent housewives. And, most importantly, they are smart. Imagine, for example, that there is a glass on the table. The husband wants this glass to be here, and the wife wants to see it in another place. The Arab wife will agree without objection. An English, French or Italian woman will say that the glass will be stand here, and that's it. The Russian woman will offer: "You are right, of course, dear. But don't you think that if the glass is a little to the right, it fits better into the interior?"

Suitors by vocation

Our compatriots who rested in Egypt know that every young Egyptian is ready to throw out his feelings on any white lady. Moreover, these feelings will be sincere and - just like in Mexican TV shows - stormy and high-flown.

And soon a new movie will begin with a new white woman. And with her, believe me, everything will be just as sincere. They know how to take care! One girl, for example, kept leaving her nightgown on the bed. And every morning the young cleaner folded it on the pillow in the most intricate way. When he found out that in two days the girl was flying away, he laid out a shirt in the shape of a heart, and rolled the towels around with fantastic birds and covered it all with red petals of local flowers, the names of which few people know. We went to this room as if on an excursion - to be photographed against the backdrop of a love masterpiece.

... However, in resort towns like Hurghada and Sherm el-Sheikh, the male population is still too spoiled by female attention. Many people think that since a girl agreed to go to a disco, everything else must follow. True, it should also be noted that if you don’t give a reason, then at first Arab loving-kindness is pleasant: waiters and porters in hotels will send love messages, and fresh flowers will constantly appear near the object of adoration in the room.

In general, as one of our girls said, "there are some pretty cute and pretty subs."

By the way, if Russian girls, as a rule, try to communicate with more cultured and fairly wealthy Egyptians (managers, guides, animation people), then rich aunts from Western Europe prefer "real Arabic flavor" - the simpler the better.

They are not our competition.

It is believed that an Egyptian woman is ugliest on her wedding day. Even before that, they are too fond of cosmetics, applying paint and lipstick by almost kilograms. But marriage is the apotheosis. At this festival in Egypt, you see a white-faced, not a dark-skinned bride. With the help of powder, they demonstrate the desire to be more white. Thus, perhaps indirectly recognizing the superiority of European women over themselves.

I once watched two Arab women swimming in the sea. With the help of some old women, they undressed for at least half an hour. More precisely, they did not undress, but unwound. At first, a lot of everything black and long was removed, under this there were scarves, shirts and pants, under the scarves - rubber caps (!), under the shirts - other shirts, under the pants - something like leggings. And in the lower (I'm not sure that they were the last) shirts, rubber hats and leggings, wrapped in towels, they plunged for about five minutes. Then they immediately wrapped themselves in towels and quickly got dressed, wrapping all their clothes around themselves again in the 35-degree heat.

“They sit at home, do nothing, they only babysit their children and watch TV shows. At the same time, their obedience to their husband is clearly imaginary. As soon as the wife becomes pregnant, she runs over to live with her mother, leaving the young husband like a straw widow, - this is the opinion of our girls, for a long time living in Egypt.

In general, the Egyptians have reasons to love foreign women.

Egyptian marriage

The most modest wedding in Egypt - with the participation of only the next of kin - costs about a thousand dollars. For common man this is a very large amount. For a solid celebration, where guests are presented with gold coins, you have to spend about 5-15 thousand dollars (for comparison: you can buy a one-room apartment in Cairo for 4-5 thousand). This is a tradition that most strictly observe.

If the bride and groom are Egyptians, they usually do not sleep with each other before the wedding. Not because it is not allowed, but out of mutual respect!

After all, everything can happen in life: suddenly, Allah forbid, the groom dies, becoming a victim of an accident. That's it, the "unclean" bride will never marry later.

It's easier with a foreigner. In the worst case, she will simply leave for her homeland. Besides, you don't have to pay for it.

Marry an Egyptian

For balance, let's talk about the opposite option - the marriage of an Egyptian woman to a Russian guy. Is it possible? I know of only one case, and even then not very successful. As I was told, this decisive person, for the sake of an alliance with the Russian, quarreled with all her relatives (more precisely, everyone turned away from her). And her husband, an unremarkable guy from Vladimir, never found a job in Cairo, sitting on her neck. But, apparently, moving to the province of Russia is an even worse prospect.

In Egypt, approximately 15% of the inhabitants profess Christianity (they are called Copts here). Christian women can theoretically marry a fellow believer from another country. But, most likely, only theoretically. An Egyptian is a Muslim and theoretically cannot marry a foreigner if he is not a Muslim (unlike men who are allowed to marry just believers).

As a rule, they all listen to what dad has to say. And fathers watch their children very carefully, carefully choosing their husbands and wives. Moreover, if divorce is in principle possible for Muslims, then this is not accepted among Christians. It is very difficult for them to get divorced.

Poor Mr Gad

We from the Sheraton after dinner walked along the path along the sea to a nearby hotel. It was inferior in class to our prim "five-star plus", but the atmosphere there was more cheerful and democratic. And on the way back, a handsome man from the security service blocked our way. Apparently, he was tired of standing alone under a palm tree and he decided to talk to us.

We introduced ourselves to Mr. Gad (as he called himself!), so as not to pester, husband and wife. And a long-winded, hot and confused "story" of his love for a mysterious Russian girl suddenly fell upon us.

Why did she leave me? I did everything for her, carried her in my arms. And I saw: she was happy with me! Why did she leave for Russia, where there are always two winters - very cold and not very cold?!

This was the main refrain of his song by song. Mr. Gad sincerely wanted to understand and waited for an explanation: why did his Russian wife not like him, his relatives, his country.

What could we say to him?

That only those of us who are from the capital and large cities are leaving back. The time of exoticism, beautiful courtship and primary stormy love nights is quickly ending. Egypt is boring, but we have more opportunities.

There are many stories like those told by Mr. Gad. Life in Egypt is quite cheap. It has already been mentioned that an apartment in Cairo costs three times cheaper than in Moscow. But at the same time, as in small towns in Russia, the average salary rarely exceeds the border of 100-150 dollars. And in Egypt, it is not easy for a young specialist to find a promising job: blat is widespread in the oriental way.

It is these circumstances that push the Egyptian guys into the tourism business - one of the few industries where a person with a certain skill can earn good money (and also gets a chance to meet a foreigner).

The Egyptian husbands of Russian women are very proud of them and believe that they have drawn a lucky ticket. Usually they are softer than other Arab men and allow a lot to their wives. Carrying with children. They don't drink. True, many of them are too lazy. The ideal pastime of a native Egyptian is to lie by the sea, smoking a hookah or a cigarette and listening to Om Kalsum (a long-dead folk singer who left a solid creative heritage - more than 300 tape cassettes). Caste is very strong in Egypt. Segments of the population practically do not mix and do not touch (this is another reason why Egyptians want to marry foreign women - this way they increase their status). The mechanic's wife, even if she is a smart Russian girl with a diploma, will never be able to communicate with anyone except his relatives and a few of her husband's friends, or rather, only with the wives of her husband's friends. The wife of a professor or a major businessman has a wider circle of acquaintances, but not by much. In Cairo, there are prestigious areas in which there is everything to ensure that the wives of wealthy people do not show their noses outside these possessions. A sort of golden cages, the degree of closeness is somewhat reminiscent of the settlements of Soviet diplomats during the Cold War.

So being the wife of an Egyptian is not an easy task. And it's up to you to decide whether to say "Yes" to an Egyptian man.

Discussing now

“I don’t work, my husband fully supports me and my daughter.” What is it like to marry an Egyptian

Maria and her daughter flew to live in Egypt 5 years ago (for personal reasons). For a while, her mother supported her financially, and then Maria met Mukhamed. They recently had a son. Maria told Rebenok about her life in Egypt, about differences in mentality and upbringing of children. . BY.

Photo source: personal archive

Of course, I was worried about moving. But I have already flown to Egypt many times. I had friends there, Russian wives of Egyptians, with whom I constantly communicated on the Internet. Naturally, I already knew almost all the "pitfalls" in Egypt. All medical care is free. Study too. And in general, for us, foreigners, everything is paid there, as in Belarus, everything is paid for foreigners.

It is very difficult to return here after living in Egypt, it is simply unrealistic. There all year round sun, sea and eternal holiday.

Mukhamed and I were introduced by friends, and we immediately started dating. A month later we signed. The fact is that he had to fly away for 2 months to work, and he was very afraid that during this time I would forget him.

They can abandon their son in order not to accept a foreigner into the family

Muhamed's parents, aunt and closest relatives received me well, albeit coldly, probably because they had no choice. The rest of the family was shocked.

Before me, Mohamed was married to an Egyptian from "his family." He was married at the age of 23 according to the traditions of Egypt: parents choose a bride for their son, especially in wealthy families, from distant relatives, for example, some second cousin, so that all the money remains in their large family. He was married to a distant relative. He lived with her for 6 years without love, and in the end they parted so that the whole family quarreled among themselves.

And when I, a foreigner, appeared, the relatives cut off the phone, they even had to turn it off. They were angry. All because of financial issue. As it is, the money will then go to me and our children.

In Egypt, it is rare that a foreigner is accepted into the family, namely wealthy people. Many even abandon their sons, deprive them of their inheritance, and if he really loves, then he is left with nothing. My husband is financially independent from his family, so no one would scare him with money. He works in Saudi Arabia, he has a good salary, his own housing.

Now we have an excellent relationship with his parents: they adore my daughter, and when the baby was born, it was generally happiness for them.

My husband has 2 boys from his first marriage, but no one lets them see him or his parents, so our son is a great joy for all of them.

Differences in mentality are not annoying

In Egypt, a woman should be closed within reason, of course. For example, it is important for my husband that I do not have a deep neckline. In Hurghada, in a resort town, the skirt may be slightly above the knee, but the swimsuit is closed. And in Cairo, the skirt is below the knee, and better in general to the floor.

Photo source: heroine's archive

Initially, I had a protest, but now I'm used to it. So they stare less. In Egypt, if you walk alone in something short, bus drivers or vendors on the street may whistle, be disrespectful. I feel most uncomfortable. I have been living there for the 6th year and I understand that it is better for me. When I come to Belarus, I dress how I want, because people here are different.

I am a Christian and I am not going to change my religion. My husband does not require me to wear a headscarf, even if I were a Muslim. In their family, an aunt does not wear a headscarf, and this is normally perceived. But they are very religious people.

They don't drink alcohol. I have not drank alcohol for a long time for other reasons, and I no longer feel like it. But we both smoked. And when they began to plan a child, they abandoned it. It was very hard.

My husband and I communicate in English, I know Arabic at the conversational level, but it's easier for us. My husband studied at an English school and graduated from an American university, so he knows English better than Arabic.

Everything revolves around the family

For the Egyptians, the family is of great value: an inextricable bond with parents remains until death. Their children help their parents if the parents need it, and not vice versa. Be sure to talk to your mom every day, no matter where you are. When my husband is in Belarus, there must be a connection.

Egyptian men spend a lot of time with children, play with them. If a family outing is in a cafe, then mom sits at a table, and dad runs around with the children. Men are very close to children.

Photo source: personal archive

A woman, if she wants, can work. But all the money she earns is her personal money. It is not customary for a husband to take money from his wife. I don’t work, but I have my husband’s salary card, there are no restrictions there, like $ 100 a month and that’s it. He pays for my daughter's school, he fully supports me and my daughter. And when my mother comes to visit us, she also does not take anything from her.

The husband treats her daughter well, would like her to call him dad, but she is already an adult girl. They have very a good relationship, friendly.

He talks to her a lot, explains to her what is good and what is bad, instills in her love and respect for her mother. In general, they initially have a different attitude towards families, deeper. Especially sons have some kind of selfless love for their mothers.

Mostly women stay at home.

My husband doesn't want me to work, and I don't want to either. In the future, there are plans to open a small business so that there is something to do when the baby grows up.

Egyptian women mostly stay at home while their husband is at work, do household chores, cook food. At the same time, it is customary for wealthy families to have a housekeeper who, for example, comes once a week and cleans the entire apartment. Or permanently lives in the family and cooks.

My husband offered to get me an assistant, but I don’t want to: I would be ashamed if, sitting at home, I invite someone to clean up with me. Now, of course, when we return from Belarus, the apartment will be cleaned there, the bed will be changed.

I don't sit under lock and key while my husband is at work.

Muhamed works 8 weeks in Saudi Arabia and then 4 weeks at home. I don't sit under lock and key while my husband is at work. I have many girlfriends, Russian girls, we go to the beach, we meet in the evening in a cafe. My husband is fine with this, but I have to be at home no later than 12 pm. And he won't let me go to discos alone either.

Photo source: personal archive

In Belarus, I can go wherever I want. There - no. Not because Mohammed doesn't trust me, but because he doesn't trust the local men. In Egypt, there are enough in discos and "stoned", they can pester and even steal.

I do without a babysitter

It is customary for wealthy Egyptians to have nannies raise their children. I am against it, because this is my child, and I want to raise him myself.

In our concept, a nanny is like a second mother: she has to develop, take care of the child, and their nanny is the woman who feeds, waters, cleans, and washes.

The Egyptians are not particularly concerned with the development of children. We read some books to children, but here I have not seen this. They have the most sophisticated tablets in children: sit there, play.

Children are sent to kindergarten from the age of two. There they develop, immediately learn English at a decent level.

The school curriculum was more difficult

My daughter goes to school at the Russian embassy. Teaching entirely in Russian according to the Russian program plus Arabic language. Every six months, children take tests to check their level of knowledge. A commission arrives from Cairo, takes exams for children.

Ksyusha has been studying here since the 3rd grade. Right away we had problems, the program there is different and more complicated. I'm talking about English in general. The level that they give us is generally non-existent. The first year we sat over the lessons without raising our heads from evening to night. From the 4th grade it became normal: I joined.

Photo source: personal archive

Almost personal training

There are 6 students in the class. There, every day, they ask their daughter at every lesson, it’s not like we had 30 people, you spent a week and you know that now they will ask you. Homework is assigned in each subject every day, and she prepares lessons for about 4 hours.

Now we have arrived in Belarus for the duration of pregnancy, everything is so easy here and there are so few tasks that my child does homework for half an hour or an hour at most. Apart from the Belarusian language and literature, with which I, of course, help.

The school itself in Egypt costs us $100 a month, plus everything else: transfer to school, textbooks, workbooks, uniforms (we buy everything ourselves), breakfast and lunch (optional). In a month for all dollars 160 it turns out.

She came to Belarus to give birth

When planning a pregnancy, I passed all the tests. There it is on a voluntary basis, if you want - hand it over, if you want - no. During pregnancy, my doctor (in a private clinic) ordered tests for toxoplasmosis and some other diseases. Then it was necessary to come to the reception every 3-4 weeks and do an ultrasound.

At first I thought that I would give birth in Egypt ... weeks until the 7th pregnancy. Then a terrible toxicosis began, I kept thinking that it would pass, but it did not pass. My husband is not around, I even went to his parents in Cairo for 2 weeks, but still this is not what I want to have soul mate nearby.

Since there is no husband, then we go to my mother. My daughter and I flew to Belarus in the middle of pregnancy. And then it was already scary to return. What if something goes wrong: suddenly I start giving birth ahead of time, what if I will be in the hospital for a long time, and with whom will my daughter be with all this time?

My husband's vacation fell on the last 2 weeks of pregnancy and 2 weeks after the birth of the child. That's how we calculated it.

I did not regret that I gave birth in Belarus. My husband was present at the birth, we had a paid ward, the head of the birth was in charge, everything went perfectly.

When my husband came to Belarus, he liked everything with us. He is delighted that our place is green and clean, quiet, but he was upset that there were a lot of drunk people on the street ... Especially when he saw drunk women sitting on benches, he was shocked.

Daughter will not be given citizenship

I can get Egyptian citizenship this fall (2 years after marriage), for this it remains only to collect a package of documents.

My daughter will still remain a foreigner and will not receive Egyptian citizenship. Theoretically, if my husband adopted her, then yes. But the fact is that it is forbidden by law, and her biological father will never refuse her. Therefore, she will receive only a residence permit. She will have all the same rights as the citizens of the country.

For free education, my daughter must go to a local Arabic school, and she goes to Russian. This is our choice.

Photo source: personal archive

Medical care will be free, but free clinics in Egypt are very scary, and I won’t go there with my child anyway. Wealthy Egyptians go only to private paid clinics.

Teenagers in Egypt don't swear

My daughter is already very different from Belarusian children, she has completely different interests. In Belarus, some 13-year-old girls already smoke, drink beer, and do other things. Many have artificial eyelashes and nails.

Ksyusha went to a disco for the first time in her life in Belarus, then she cried that she was not like that, that they drink and smoke, but she was not interested in all this, and she did not want it.

In Egypt, children get together, play board games, ride bicycles or horses, swim in the pool or the sea. They don't swear. They don't even think to go "organize a booze".

I'm glad my daughter is growing up there. Boys and girls study separately at local schools. In this regard, we are generally calm: you can let her go for a walk with girls or Russian boys from her school, everything is so different there that I know that my daughter will not get into any story.

Plans for the future - fly to Egypt for the summer

Despite the fact that we have apartments in Egypt, we do not connect our lives with this country. Most likely, it will be Germany, because I want my daughter to study there. I have a very good friend living there, she invites us to her place, and there is an opportunity to get visas.

I cannot sit in one place. When my husband has a vacation, I want to go to some other place, but I fly to Belarus, my mother is right there. But I persuaded my mother to move to Egypt in the future, and if she moves, I have a dream - every year to live in different countries ah, and we will come to Egypt for the summer. I really want to travel, I really want to live everywhere. With my husband's job, I can afford it: we are not tied to any particular place.

Are you raising children in another country? Send your story about childbirth and the peculiarities of raising children to [email protected] website

Educational museums in Minsk, where you should definitely visit with children

If you are over 40, then I wholeheartedly welcome your decision, most likely you will be smart enough not to formalize the relationship. Advice that is said, yes love! Have fun at your own pace. My friend lives in Egypt with a habib who is younger than her son).

If you are at a tender age and intend to marry an Arab, then here are some practical tips ( good advice sometimes more than money!):

1. Never marry an Arab
2. Never marry an Arab
3. Never marry an Arab

This, of course, is a joke, but in every joke there is only a fraction of a joke, as you know ...

If you are still firm in your desire, then you should understand that you are taking a big risk and should not forget about it for a minute. But I understand that it is absolutely impossible when you are told something along the lines of: " Your father stole the stars and made your eyes out of them." or " I'm jealous even of the wind that touches your hair".

Are there many women in Russia who have heard similar things addressed to them by local men? Who can resist such beautiful courtship?

If Arab men are strong in something, then it is undoubtedly in matters of seduction.

And our, Russian men, if they are weak in something, then in that they forget that a woman loves with her ears. And loves beautiful courtship.

But let's go down to earth. First, just the facts.

1. Marriage to a foreigner is an increase in the status of an Egyptian.

2. In addition, it is beneficial: no need to make expensive premarital gifts. Some of our women are ready to pay for anything for the sake of marriage with an Egyptian.

3. And this is another plus: enrichment. You will sell housing, invest everything in his business (you will think that in your general business), close accounts in your homeland and transfer money to him. Etc. When you have nothing left, a very ugly story will begin. Conclusion: never reveal your true financial situation to the groom and do not try to cut off the ends in your homeland. It is better to rent an apartment, do not close accounts. It is better to leave money for the education of children and any unforeseen event. Open a deposit and earn interest from them. Don't tell your husband about this. Did he promise to support you? Let it be...

4. Are you ready for the fact that all your life you will be engaged only at home? Most likely, the husband will not allow you to work. This is a downgrade. This tells about him that he himself is not able to feed his family, a shame. Even if you live poorly, not every husband will let you work. And without his permission, you simply will not be hired. No implementation at all!

5. Dress like you used to? You can't! It casts a shadow over your husband. Closed clothing. Without your husband's permission, you won't even be able to initiate conversations with anyone! Someone knows how to live like this. And you?

6. You will try as soon as possible to unwind on the children. The children tie their mother. They can be influenced by them. Meanwhile, in the event of a divorce, the children will remain with their father. If you decide to have a child, you must understand that you GIVE it FOREVER to your husband's family. You yourself can live there or run away, but it will be possible to take the child away only by cunning or crime.

7. By the way, the child will be a Muslim. You, most likely, will also have to convert to Islam. It's not required, it's just highly recommended. By the way, there are also Christians in Egypt, a small community.

8. The legalization of marriage in Egypt is another quest. Your loved one will tell you that an orfi is enough - a kind of marriage contract concluded at a notary in the presence of two witnesses, but in reality everything is much more complicated. If you want your marriage to be recognized in Russia, then read here: http://kunstkamera.net/topic3276.html The entry is already quite old, always get the latest data from the consulate! His phone numbers are listed below. To the credit of the consular staff it will be said that they fervently dissuade every girl from marrying an Egyptian, for they are tired of those who come running to them with children and ask for help. But neither they nor I console ourselves with thoughts that this will help when there is such a song of songs in our ears ...

By the way, a good site: http://kunstkamera.net/
Specializes in marriages with Arabs. I recommend him wholeheartedly. This is a forum where Egyptian wives and those who have suffered from hot Arab guys communicate on it.

Useful articles of the Kunstkamera: http://kunstkamera.net/forum15.html
And there is also an Identification Board: http://kunstkamera.net/forum16.html Place your fiancé there and wait for answers. Maybe someone will recognize him, save you a lot of nerves. And in general, reading like this is sobering.

You know, I rarely give such advice myself. All these black lists of grooms can be harmful, such negativity from them! But in this case - just beg you, read them.
Arabs can be too dangerous... Precisely because their religious law is more powerful than civil law. And this religion is very unfriendly to women...

It's one thing if you absorbed it with your mother's milk, it does not cause such a protest. Another thing is when you grew up in a state where there was no religion at all, where you received higher education and the notion of gender equality.

The entire Russian-speaking population located in Egypt can be divided into three categories: tourists, temporary workers and permanent residents. The third category includes mainly girls who have tied the knot with the inhabitants of this country.

According to the statistics of marriages between Russian women and foreigners, Egyptians most often become the chosen ones of Russian brides. It is unlikely that this phenomenon can be explained only by the growing popularity of tours to the country of the pharaohs. What attracts the mysterious Russian soul to Egyptian love?

Today, on the glossy pages of magazines or sincere women's forums, you can find quite a lot of revelations of girls who dared to marry an Egyptian. Reviews and comments are completely different.

Why do Egyptians like Russian girls?

As you know, Russian beauties are very attracted to Egyptian machos. The first thing that conquers Eastern men is an attractive appearance. Surely, no one can argue with the fact that Slavic girls have always been considered the most beautiful of the fair sex. In the background - the innate desire and ability to take care of yourself. It turns out that grooming is also an important character trait of the future chosen one of the Egyptian. And of course, where to go without a bed. Here, Russian ladies are also not in losing positions. If all these advantages are supplemented with the famous thriftiness of our compatriots, then they generally have no price. Against such a weapon, not that the Egyptian can not resist, you can conquer anyone.

There are several reasons why Russian girls marry Egyptians. First of all, this is a striking difference between the Arabs and their compatriots. Beautiful courtship is the main trump card of Egyptian men. They are romantic, emotional, courteous, caring, attentive. Showering the girl with compliments, they show a keen interest in her, they are ready to fulfill her every desire, literally to get a star from heaven. Probably, this is what many Russian women lack in their daily life at home. They are often unable to resist Eastern romanticism for the simple reason that their compatriots do not spoil them with this luxury. Romance in our time has generally turned into some kind of mystical creature that lives anywhere but in love relationships.

It should be noted that on the part of the Egyptian, this is sometimes a very familiar role. Many Russian women who happily live in Egypt with their Arab husbands note that they are in fact worthy husbands and real men, ready to protect their wife from all adversity. An Egyptian husband is a devoted, kind, gentle and generous person, he loves children very much and takes care of them on a par with his mother literally from the first days of their birth. An Egyptian father does not give preference to children of any gender, he equally loves both sons and daughters. In addition, it is important that the Egyptian husband is always sober, because the use of alcohol is strictly prohibited by religion. In most cases, it is the husband who fully supports the family, and the wife is busy with the housework.

Why can't the Egyptians stop the "expansion" of Russian girls?

For those who are lucky enough to visit Egypt, it will not be a discovery that the Egyptians are trying in every possible way to become like “white women”. To this end, they use a large amount of cosmetics, which clearly does not improve their situation. There was even a certain stereotype about the fact that the Egyptian woman on her wedding day does not look very attractive due to the excessive use of white powder. Many Egyptian girls straighten and even lighten their hair. By these actions, they only confirm the prevailing position of women with a European or Slavic type of appearance.

The model remains strange enough for our perception. family relations in the Egyptian family, or rather, the position and role of women in this system. Vacationers are surprised that Egyptians do nothing more than take care of children and watch TV shows all day long. Obviously, not every man will like this, especially the Egyptian.

The warm climate of this African country, wonderful nature and the cleanest sea play an important role in choosing Russian girls. Even significant mental, religious and cultural differences between Russia and Egypt do not frighten them. On the contrary, immersion in a new cultural environment, studying the traditions and customs of another country becomes a real discovery for many, because this ancient country is full of mysteries and secrets.

In this post I will talk about how I married an Egyptian in 2012, as well as ladies detailed instructions, where to apply and what documents are needed to get married with an Egyptian citizen today. If you are not interested in my personal life, then go straight to the end.

Instead of a preface: the guide I prepared is not suitable for everyone, since the country has different “rules of marriage” for foreign women from different countries, for Egyptians of different faiths, and sometimes, with the same initial data, people go through a different path, because different employees of the same organizations are guided by different rules for accepting / issuing certificates, depending on which foot they got up on today :)




First of all, if you really want to marry an Egyptian, you need to decide whether the desire is really very strong, and the situation is critical. At the slightest doubt, drop this venture and live in peace!

If you still really want to, then listen to how it happens ..

My story of marriage with an Egyptian

We had a classic version: I am a girl from Russia, my fiancé is an Egyptian Muslim. We contacted the consulate, I interviewed all my friends who had gone through this path, and as a result, on their tip, I prepared the following list of documents:

• Certificate from the registry office

The fact that I am not married in the Russian Federation. However, many of our registry offices have no idea that such a certificate can exist in principle, and therefore refuse to issue it.

Another difficulty lies in the fact that in our country there is no single database for registry offices and it is quite logical that if you got married in one registry office, this does not mean at all that all registry offices know about it. Guided by these conclusions, many employees of registry offices do not take responsibility for issuing certificates with obviously unverifiable information. But sometimes you come across quite adequate and loyal registry offices, where they will write what you want, just give money .. in general, how lucky :)

• The certificate must be apostilled.

This is such a tricky seal that confirms that your certificate is a real and cool reference. And this apostille is put ONLY in the main registry office in Moscow. And it costs a lot - in 2012 the price was 1500 rubles.

But it is worth considering that the apostille is put on documents intended not for all countries, but only for those that signed the Hague Convention in some shaggy year. Egypt then ignored this event, therefore, for certificates intended for Egypt, such a seal is not put in principle. And it is necessary!

• A certificate from both parents stating that they are not against my marriage to an Egyptian citizen.

Take it wherever you want, but the main thing is to certify it with a notary. Notaries, as a rule, first fall into a stupor, when asked to certify such a paper, and then certify at the highest rate :)

• Help from parents it is necessary to certify with an apostille. See p2.
• If you suddenly do not have both or one of the parents, then explanations are needed where they died, for example, or left and left you, a thirty-year-old lonely aunt to the mercy of fate, or maybe they are wanted .. Any certificates received for this purpose must be certified by a notary and an apostille :)
• If you are a Christian, then you need proof that you are a Christian.

No one knows for sure where such certificates are issued. Presumably in the church where you were baptized, but some priests do not understand how to issue such a certificate, because they either do not have an archive at all, or they have one, but only from 2000, or the archive was, but burned down ..

Or simply elementary no one remembers where you were baptized, and our churches (as well as registry offices) are not at all obliged to notify all churches in Russia about the fact of the baptism of a particular person. Either your parents remember where you were baptized, but it was a long time ago, and then you lived in Kamchatka, and now in Moscow.

IMHO it's easier to re-baptize and demand a document. Or pay the priest money so that he writes you a paper from your words. (further to the notary and for the apostille :))

• If you Muslim, then the same as in paragraph 6, only you have to deal with the mosque. And considering that in Islam there is no such thing as “baptism” at all, I don’t know how they get out there. Same issue with Judaism.
• If you atheist or a follower of any other religion other than the above, then without options - either urgently be baptized / convert to Islam / Judaism, or forget about your Egyptian betrothed forever! Because there are no other religions in the world!

In parallel, my fiancé was collecting this:

• A certificate from the police stating that he is not convicted(this requirement is not entirely clear to me, because maybe I fell in love with a convict, why shouldn’t I get married now or what?)
• Certificate stating that he is not married(although this requirement appeals to me, it also seems illogical, given that I am going to marry in a Muslim country, where it is officially allowed to have 4 wives. Maybe I want to become the third beloved wife with all my heart! It seems just as illogical to the Egyptian state authorities, who do not understand at all how to write this, where to check this fact and why it is needed).
• Certificate of registration(yeah, given that there is no such thing as a residence permit in Egypt, it certainly doesn’t matter at all :) And they don’t have registration either. There is ownership of housing, but if, for example, the groom lives in an apartment with his parents, and the owner of the home is dad, then I don’t quite understand what the required certificate should look like. According to witnesses, probably ...)
• Well the passport of course (love this point)))

What have we done

We collected half of the required documents and with this set we decided to apply directly to the Russian consulate in Cairo, because the next step was to get a certificate from the Consulate that my Motherland was not opposed to marrying me abroad. (Before that, there was a preparatory stage :))

It turned out that I had no apostilles on any piece of paper, and my husband had nothing at all, except for a passport. What was our surprise when it turned out that while we were running around in soap from notaries, our Consulate canceled the requirements of half of the certificates due to the fact that they were basically impossible to obtain, and now a certificate of the absence of obstacles to registering my marriage is issued simply on the basis our passports. No, okay?

Note that I didn’t come up with all the above information out of my head! It was Ahmed who went to our consulate, where there was a list of necessary documents on the door, he took a picture of it on his phone (!! that is, you can’t complain that he has a bad memory!) and sent it to me.

And when we went to the consulate without his certificates, we simply decided to clarify everything again and check whether all my certificates were drawn up in this way. And they got out of there immediately with permission! Here's how it goes :)

So we became happy owners of permission to marry a foreigner.

The next step is to persuade the Egyptian side.

To do this, we went to a lawyer and concluded that we are like husband and wife, but we do not have the rights of husband and wife. It is difficult for me to explain the whole deep meaning of this piece of paper, but roughly speaking, it gives you the right to sleep together. (From now on, you can start, gee).

With this piece of paper, a bunch of photographs, copies of passports and a certificate from the Russian consulate, we went to the visa center and applied for fiancé visa. We stood in line, of course :)) We paid approx. 80 dollars .. We waited a couple of months and in the end received a visa for half a year. During this period, we had to have time to complete everything that was left.

After obtaining a fiancee visa, we went to the hospital, where we received certificates that we are not fools are healthy :) In our hospital, for 20 pounds (3 dollars), they agreed to turn a blind eye to all our possible physical and mental disabilities :)) They didn’t take any tests from us, they issued certificates so simply, for money.

The official cost of such certificates is about $8 for Egyptians and $80 for foreigners. Well, and 20 pounds per foot for the issuer of certificates, so that the whole thing can be done in one day and without analysis. They don't care about the health of the nation at all :)

After receiving the information, we went to the post office and purchased stamps! Yeah, I'm not kidding :) For 9 dollars. Then I ran around with this brand like a chicken and an egg, it is such a small infection, and strove to get lost! But it only came in handy at the very end.

And finally, we again went to Cairo, found the Foreign Ministry there, in which we assured our ORFI contract(well, you remember, according to which we are husband and wife, but not husband and wife).

Then, if you are still a Christian, you need to assure your certificate that you are a Christian, first at the Foreign Ministry, and then at the main church Cairo (previously, the certificate must be translated into Arabic, of course).

If you marry a Muslim, then consider yourself lucky - then the finish line. And if for a Christian, then after you prove that you are not a camel, you are a real Christian with all the seals, you will need (attention!) - to cross yourself in the local church! Because only Egyptian Christians are the most Christian Christians :)

And if you are a Muslim or if religion is not crucial for your peace of mind, then I strongly advise you to ask the consulate to write in your “marriage permit” that you profess Islam. This way you will save a lot of time, nerves and money on collecting /signing certificates about religion. Here, everywhere, even at our consulate, Muslims are taken at their word and there is no need to prove anything.

finish line

First leg of the finish line

Well, in this place we are already very close to the dream! Soon, very soon, you can put a ring on your ring finger! Soon, but not now :)

We made copies of the entire collection of certificates that we managed to collect over the past few months (several copies of each - you never know?! :), added photocopies of passports, photocopies of visa pages, put all this stuff in one big folder, there put 5 photos of each of us, did not forget the brand (!), and went to storm the office with a romantic name Shara Akari(well, something like a registry office).

This institution is located, wherever you think - very close to Tahrir Square, where all the significant events of the political life of Egypt take place. And while we were collecting documents in order to create a cell of society, the people of Tahrir rebelled in order to overthrow the next regime! Tanks there, barricades, skirmishes .. you know.

The daily reports from the battlefield, of course, did not add optimism to me .. It was frankly scary to go there, but it was vital, because I had to finish this whole song

• before the expiration of the fiancé's visa, and
• before the birth, which is coming in March.

And on later dates it would be very difficult for me to take a trip to Cairo (5 hours by car one way), so we decided that the war was not a hindrance to our happiness. We will get married even under bullets :)))

On one forum, a girl who went through all this hell wrote me in great detail about workarounds on how to get to the cherished Akari Shara, if suddenly there were demonstrations, tanks, etc. I drew a map with a retreat scheme and rushed into battle :)))

Barricades at the entrance to our office

Second leg of the finish line

Shara Akari is a huge state institution-anthill, on the fourth floor of which foreigners are painted and bred. The people there were dark darkness.

Something like a cafeteria was organized in the hall, where people could wait, drink tea and smoke mercilessly. That's what everyone was doing there. The smoke screen was such that it was not immediately possible to distinguish your fiance from someone else :) The last thing that this whole event can be associated with is the solemn moment of marriage, which, oddly enough, this event was ..

The waiting room in the office, there are already few people because the end of the slave. days

While I sat down at the table, my still-future husband rushed to find out where we should give all our hard-earned papers. I waited for him for half an hour, and in my Russian naivety I decided that my man probably couldn’t break through to the offices, I’ll go and expose my belly to everyone, and they’ll let me through the pregnant place without a queue!

Yeah, naive Chukotka.

Instead of letting me through everywhere at once, everyone began to look askance at me with suspicion and turn their backs on me, blocking the passage. And then, when I finally found my man, and they let us into the office, the formidable uncle gave my Akhmed a real brainwash on the topic: “Yes, how could you, cable, knock up a girl before the wedding !!!” :)

At first I didn’t understand – is he joking or what? Then, when I saw how my Akhmed lowered his eyes and began to apologize that he would not do it again, I almost fell off my chair .. it was very uncomfortable to laugh, but it was simply impossible to hold back:) Akhmed solemnly swore that it was in the first and last time, and to atone for his guilt, he is ready to marry me .. that's right now! (let's hurry up already!)

Then the uncle looked at me and asked if I was really ready to marry this bastard man, after all that he had done? I was tempted to answer: “No, really! give me all the certificates back, I won’t marry this fool! :) But I gathered my will into a fist and said that yes, I really want to get married!

Third leg of the finish line

But the documents were not accepted from us that day. It turned out that the certificate from the consulate was missing three words "and was not." That's it. Well, that is, it says “and this madam is on this moment Unmarried". And you need to "... not married AND WAS NOT"

And by the way, I was. But I thought that now I’ll say that I was, and they will answer me - and let’s bring your first spouse’s death certificate from Russia, certified by a notary, with an apostille from Moscow, translated at the Russian consulate in Cairo and certified in MFA .. and then I fully realized why people become traitors!

Akhmed and I went to the consulate (by a miracle we ended up on a working day 10 minutes before closing, the next appointment was in 3 days), and there I looked the consul in the eyes and said - please add that I was not married. He says: “Are you sure you weren’t?” I say: “More precisely nowhere! Was not".

And the next day we had a visit to Shara Akari double 2.

This time the documents were accepted. But in total, it took us 4 hours to transfer all these papers from one office to another. The secret meaning of these movements is probably incomprehensible even to the employees of this organization. Because it looked like this:

Now you are in room 4.

We go, there is a queue, we wait, we approach, we give the documents to the aunt at the table. She looks at the stack of documents long and hard, and says:

- ok, now you go to room number 8.

And why the hell did we show her the papers?? She didn't even sign! She didn't even flip through our papers!

We come to office number 8 (queue, etc.)

- put the documents on the table and wait outside the door. All employees also leave the office after us. We wait. The door to the office is open inside no one .. it turns out that everyone has gone to pray / drink tea.

Given that the working day is from 9 to 13, it is, of course, vital to spend half an hour to “pray”. Do not people work 4 hours without a break?! At least a couple of times you need to rest!

And they have recently computerized the process there. Therefore, what they used to quickly fill out by hand, now they type with one index finger on the computer .. they type in turn, because the finger gets tired :))

In general, we left there tortured to shreds, tired, hungry, stoned on all sides, but completely married!

And now, as promised -

Step-by-step plan for those who want to marry an Egyptian:

1. Call the Consulate of the Russian Federation and clarify what documents you need to provide (most likely only a Russian passport) to obtain a certificate stating that you have no obstacles to marriage.
2. In the Consulate of the Russian Federation in Cairo, get a certificate, in the certificate, among other things, it is better to immediately write that you are not married, have not been, and that you are a Muslim.
3. Conclude an ORFI contract if you don't have one yet, although if you've been together for several years, then you probably already have one, so take it.
4. According to ORFI, a certificate from the consulate and the husband's passport, apply for a fiance visa at the local Gauzat (keep in mind that this visa is issued only once in a lifetime, so from that moment time has gone!)
5. At a public hospital, get special certificates stating that you do not have any diseases (given on the same day for a small bribe without tests)
6. Buy a special stamp at the post office
7. Certify your ORFI at the Foreign Office in Cairo
8. If you are a Christian, then at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to certify a certificate that you are a Christian
9. Photocopy everything you have, including passports and visa pages, put everything in one folder, add 5 photos of each of you and go to Shara Akari in Lazogli Square in Cairo.
10. Here you will either get married, or they will tell you what is missing :)