MacNamara diary, 19 August 1916-29 May 1919 / John Patrick MacNamara - Page 220
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[Page 220]
Marriage etc in Egypt
There are very few men who would marry in Egypt if after marrying & being disappointed with his wife he were not allowed to remarry.
A man is not to see his bride's face until after the marriage ceremony & on this hangs the whole laws regarding marriage, the allowance of polygamy, freedom of divorce & concubinage. A man may have as many as 4 wives & as many concubines as he wishes but as a rule they only have one wife & sometimes two. The greater the number of wives the greater the expense, as they must have a separate compartment to live in.
A man may marry a Jewess, or a Christian (but not vice versa) but the children must be moslems.
A girl in Egypt reaches the age of puberty at 12 or 13 & at 16 is very rarely unmarried