When meeting, men in Egypt shake hands. Those who are already acquainted express their greeting by touching the cheek and patting the shoulder and back.
If the men are friends or relatives, they kiss each other on the cheeks. If they are close friends and have not seen each other for a long time, they exchange two or three kisses on both cheeks and hug each other.
Between a man and a woman, only a verbal greeting is enough; shaking hands between representatives of the opposite sex is considered unacceptable. In Egypt, it is believed that if a woman allows you to touch one part of her body, then she has given permission to touch everything else.
Egyptian women also have a number of other prohibitions:
- Talking to men on the street and approaching them.
- Leaving the house alone, only accompanied by relatives or a husband.
- When talking to a man, looking him in the eyes or smiling, such a woman is perceived as depraved and accessible.
- Looking in the mirror on the street is typical for women of easy virtue in Egypt.
- Let strangers into the house if you are home alone.
The local population will be pleased if a tourist learns a few words in the Egyptian dialect, the Egyptian will immediately warm up to you. To refuse a request without offending, you need to put your right hand on your heart. This gesture means gratitude, in this case the interlocutor will accept it without offense.