Some marriage customs of Middle Eastern muslims are wellknown,
although their images have sometimes been extremely
and the legal points of view. The bridegroom himself and the
guardian of the bride (generally her father) together write a
marriage contract (`aqd al-qiran; in the colloquial katab el-kitab)
under the guidance of a ma'dhun (a marrige notary). The bride
and groom become a legal couple, although this dose not mean
the actual start of their new life, since some months or even years
might be required to prepare new rooms and furniture for the
couple. When they complete the preparation of their own
residence, with the some financial help of their parents, the fourth
and last ceremony of marriage will be held.
(4) The final stage is known in standard Arabic as zifaf, and
in the colloquial as dukhla. After that the couple effectively start
a new life.
Describing the succession of the ceremonies, I refer to such
significant events as the transaction of bridewealth (mahr), making
a list of the furniture (`afsh) privately owned by the bride, an
invitation to and a reception in the marriage feast (farah), which
may be held not only on the occasion of the dukhla but also as
a part of the shabka and the katab el-kitab ceremonies, special
activities of the night of henna, and showing of the blood of the
virgin to the people. The text of the sermon preached by the
ma'dhan on the occasion of the marriage contract is appended.
exaggerated or distorted by the prejudice of "Orientalism". In
this paper I describe the marriage process among the muslims of
Lower Egypt, based mostly on my fieldwork conducted mainly
in Benha city and some surrounding villages in the Qalyubiya
governorate, in 1981-82.
The purpose of this paper is mainly to describe how the
muslims conduct marriage negotiations and hold various kinds
of rituals and ceremonies. Refering to some of the reliable
ethnographies of Egypt, such as those by Lane, Ammar, Fakhouri
and Wikan, I indicate some of the transformations that have
occurred in marriage practices in Egypt from the early 19th
century to the present.
The marriage process among the muslims of Lower Egypt
today can be analyzed in terms of four stages :
(1) The first stage starts with seeking for a partner and ends
with the recitation of the first chapter of Quran (al-fatiha) by
some members of the two families, as a sign of agreement to the
marriage.
(2) The second stage is the shabka ceremony. The prospective
bridegroom gives some golden goods, such as a finger ring, necklace
or earring to the prospective bride, as a token of the engagement.
(3) Then follows the most important ritual from the religious
and the legal points of view. The bridegroom himself and the
guardian of the bride (generally her father) together write a
marriage contract (`aqd al-qiran; in the colloquial katab el-kitab)
under the guidance of a ma'dhun (a marrige notary). The bride
and groom become a legal couple, although this dose not mean
the actual start of their new life, since some months or even years
might be required to prepare new rooms and furniture for the
couple. When they complete the preparation of their own
residence, with the some financial help of their parents, the fourth
and last ceremony of marriage will be held.
(4) The final stage is known in standard Arabic as zifaf, and
in the colloquial as dukhla. After that the couple effectively start
a new life.
Describing the succession of the ceremonies, I refer to such
significant events as the transaction of bridewealth (mahr), making
a list of the furniture (`afsh) privately owned by the bride, an
invitation to and a reception in the marriage feast (farah), which
may be held not only on the occasion of the dukhla but also as
a part of the shabka and the katab el-kitab ceremonies, special
activities of the night of henna, and showing of the blood of the
virgin to the people. The text of the sermon preached by the
ma'dhun on the occasion of the marriage contract is appended.
下エジプトのムスリムにおける結婚の成立過程 : カリュービーヤ県ベンハー市とその周辺農村の事例を中心に
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