5 Egyptian Proverbs and the Stories Behind Them
Kenzy Fahmy
Egyptians have long had a way with words. Our local dialects and colloquialisms are unique among other Arabic speaking cultures. Over the years we’ve managed to create our own language almost, an emulsion of classical Arabic, French and English, among others, with a heavy dose of humor and metaphor.
Egyptians are poets by nature, and our ability to play so well with language, both our own and those that come to us from foreign lands, is something truly special. Perhaps some of the best examples of this are our proverbs, and we have many. Not all proverbs have known origin stories, but here are a few that we’ve been able to track down!
El erd fe ‘ein ommo ghazal – A monkey in his mother’s eyes is a gazelle
The meaning behind this one is fairly easy to decipher; beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, or more accurately, a mother’s love could make anyone beautiful.
It is said the origins of this proverb lie in Aesop’s fables, a series of stories written by the Greek storyteller. The Roman god Jupiter once held a beauty contest for the baby animals of the jungle, and so naturally, all the mothers came from far and wide with their offspring, believing them to be the most beautiful. Among the first to arrive were the mother monkey and her baby, but the others all laughed, thinking her delusional and trying to convince her to withdraw from the competition. But the mother monkey insisted that, in her eyes, her child was the most beautiful of them all. Jupiter laughed too, and said, “Even a monkey is a gazelle in his mother’s eyes!”
Elli ekhtasho mato – Those who feared (shame) died
This proverb is most often uttered in the face of shamelessness; all those who have feared shame have perished, and all who are left are shameless. Another way of interpreting the phrase would be that the world no longer has any honorable people left, their shame led them all to their death.
The origins of this one are debatable. Some say the proverb originated in Turkey, while others believe it started right here in Egypt. But regardless of country of origin, the story remains the same. Many years ago, a fire broke out in one of the country’s bathhouses. The women inside were faced with a decision; run out of the building naked, or remain inside and succumb to the flames. Only those who didn’t fear shame survived.
Heya kolaha kusa – It’s all zucchini
This one is perhaps a little harder to decipher if you’re not already familiar with the phrase; it’s all a game of favoritism and luck.
The origins of this proverb go back to Mamluk times when Cairo was a walled city, the gates of which would be shut every night to prevent entry. When morning came, there would be lines of people waiting to get inside, including merchants who would travel to the city to sell their goods. It is said that the first to be let through, or the only ones for which an exception would be made, were the zucchini merchants because their produce was known to deteriorate faster than the rest. This of course angered the other merchants who would be forced to wait for hours at the gates of Cairo, all because they weren’t lucky enough to be zucchini merchants. And so the phrase was born.
Dukhul el hammam mesh zayy khurugu – Entering the bathhouse is not like leaving it
Similar to the English proverb “They bit off more than they can chew”, this one is all about those situations that might seem easy at first, but once you’re in it, you realize you’ve dug yourself into a deep hole from which there’s no escape.
This proverb also has unclear origins; it’s been attributed to Morocco, Turkey and Egypt, and like the previous one, the story is the same regardless. One day, a man decided to open a new bathhouse, and in order to attract customers he decided to hang a sign outside that said entry was free. Of course, this attracted a large number of people who all went in blindly, tempted by the offer of a free bath. But once they decided to leave, the owner refused to return their clothes, demanding a fee in exchange. When the people complained, the man simply said, “Entering the bathhouse is not the same as leaving it!”
Dafnino sawa – We buried it together
Another way of saying “We’re in this together”, this proverb is said by one accomplice to another; we made this mess together so don’t try to deceive me now.
This one has a great origin story. Two merchants shared a donkey who they named Abo el Sabr (father of patience). The poor donkey got his name because, for years, the two men would consistently overload him with work, and the poor donkey would take it patiently. But one day, the overworked donkey died, and the two men in their grief decided to give the animal a proper burial out of respect for all his hard work. They sat by his grave every day shedding bitter tears, so much so that the villagers took notice and began to ask for the reason behind their grief. The two men simply said, “Abo el Sabr has died,” and went on about how this Abo el Sabr was so good and helpful. The villagers understandably assumed the two men were talking about a person, believing them to have buried a Sheikh or holy person. The merchants quickly built a mausoleum over the poor donkey’s grave and began collecting the offerings and gifts people would leave for the mysterious holy man that was supposedly buried there. But one of the merchants tried to take everything, refusing to split the offerings with his partner who was now threatening to complain to Sheikh Abo el Sabr. The greedy merchant looked at his partner and said, “Who is Abo el Sabr? We buried him together, remember?”