Getting Married in Egypt

By Mark Wiens No Comments

I was sitting on my bed at the Noorhan Hotel in Aswan, Egypt, sitting in silence trying to ponder my earlier Pharaonic expeditions at Abu Simbel and Philae when a loud thunder of drum beats, chanting and shrieking cries rang through the rickety window.

Stepping onto the balcony it soon became evident that a local Nubian wedding was taking place 2 houses down. The wedding precession consisted of about 50 people, 15 of them being part of a drumming band of dancers. The bride and groom as well as a few others in brightly colored outfits entered the house as the band took a break to smoke some cigarettes. 15 minutes later, the couple emerged from the the house, street dancing into a crowd of bystanders and the band.

They precession slowly made their way down the small street, eventually boarding a minivan for the next phase of their wedding.

When I paid my $4 for a bed in Aswan, Egypt, I had no idea it would include a free viewing of a traditional Nubian wedding ceremony!