Thursday is an important day for Egyptians; it is the eve of Friday, an official holiday and the beginning of the weekend which means late nights are popular. Families meet. Young people see their friends at cafes. The most precious and intimate time is allocated to sex, however, which is hard to track in a society which still considers it a taboo. Egyptian society implicitly considers the day on which most married couples have sex a day for vice, according to many religions, and a day on which Satan celebrates his weekly birthday.

Thursday is an important day for Egyptians; it is the eve of Friday, an official holiday and the beginning of the weekend which means late nights are popular. Families meet. Young people see their friends at cafes. The most precious and intimate time is allocated to sex, however, which is hard to track in a society which still considers it a taboo. Egyptian society implicitly considers the day on which most married couples have sex a day for vice, according to many religions, and a day on which Satan celebrates his weekly birthday.

Steamy Fridays

Sex is natural and a necessary biological process for the continuity of the human race. Many societies remain open about discussing it. In Egypt, secrecy and prohibition have turned sex into a legendary act; a puzzled and mysterious world, a big adventure which makes the accelerating political, economic and social crises which threaten the artificial stability somewhat lighter. Under such circumstances, Egyptians escape to their safe havens; love and sex, the flames of life.

“Without the short time I spend with my wife every week, I would commit suicide,” said Mohamed Jamal, a 51-year-old taxi driver, with characteristic hyperbole. “I have never taken Viagra or any performance-boosting pills and hopefully I will never do it. Just give me a hashish cigarette and see what I can do till the dawn,” said Jamal. Our correspondent declined the offer to watch!

Helping tools

Pharmacist Ashraf Qandeel says that there has been a growing demand for sexually-enhancing drugs in recent years. “I believe calling these drugs enhancing is not accurate as they in fact cure two problems which undermine men’s performance in bed: premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction,” Qandeel told Correspondents. He says Thursday is considered, “a weekly carnival,” when demand increases not only for sexually-enhancing drugs, but also for condoms, colognes, perfumes and makeup.

Dr. Mohieddin Sadeq, a venereologist, ascribes the growing demand for sexual enhancement drugs to a common-held belief that the legend of Egyptian fertility is at stake in every sexual experience. The use of these drugs, he believes, is justified and a natural reaction to chronic diseases, stress, the increasing number of cancer cases and the general frustration of Egyptians in recent years. The pharmacist adds that limited use of such drugs causes no side effects. “Some help is not harmful at all. However, God is the ultimate and true helper,” he says.

Underwear wars

The prevailing sexual habits of Égyptian society are hard to analyse due to the secrecy and mystery engulfing the subject. What’s more, when it comes to sex, no one tells the truth. People either exaggerate things to hide their failure or underestimate them to avoid envy. Despite such secrecy and volte-face, Egyptians have their own symbols to express and celebrate sex. These include popular songs, which have implicit sexual connotations, or white sheets stained with the blood of a virgin on the morning of a wedding.  Women neighbors sometimes compete with each other to hang their underwear on the best spots on washing lines on Friday morning.

Porn addiction

Despite the prevailing lust, some find it difficult or even impossible to enjoy sex for different reasons. Walid S, a 36-year-old communications engineer, says he almost feels no pleasure after years of sex with his wife. Nine years of marriage, repetition, daily routine and permanent availability have made him lose the strong feelings he used to have at the beginning of the relationship. That made him return to his “distorted” sexual experience, which started at primary school with pictures cut out from foreign magazines featuring naked women. He remembers the video tapes and the hard disks which moved among computers before the emergence of USB memory sticks. He describes his overwhelming joy at the beginning. However, the more hidden parts are revealed, the lesser the excitement becomes, like a baby who gets bored with his toy and swiftly seeks another, says Walid.

Overall, whether for money, love, reproduction, self-assertion or a false feeling of triumph, sex for sex’s sake remains one of the purest symbols of happiness, the best source of pleasure for Egyptians.