Etiquette and Customs in Egypt: Greetings, Hands, Hospitality and Faux Pas

What is the most important thing to know about Egyptian etiquette?

Relationships come before transactions: a greeting, a question about your family or a glass of tea is not a delay, it is how things get done. Egyptians are some of the most sociable people you will meet, and a brisk, business-only manner that passes as efficient in Australia can come across as cold.

Most Egyptians are Sunni Muslims, with a substantial Coptic Christian minority, usually estimated at around one in ten people, and religion is part of daily speech and routine for both. You will hear inshallah (God willing) attached to every future plan and el-hamdu lillah (thanks be to God) in answer to "how are you?". Nobody expects visitors to share the faith, but they do expect it to be treated with respect.

The good news is that Egyptians are forgiving of foreigners' mistakes, especially when you are clearly trying. Tourism has been part of life along the Nile for well over a century, and people in Luxor, Aswan and Cairo are used to visitors' habits. What earns goodwill fastest is courtesy, a sense of humour and a few words of Arabic; our Egyptian Arabic phrases guide covers the essentials.

How do you greet people in Egypt?

Say salamu aleikum or ahlan, shake hands with men, and with women wait to see whether they offer a hand; if they don't, place your right hand on your heart and nod.

• Men with men: a handshake, often long and warm, sometimes with a pat on the shoulder. Friends kiss on both cheeks. It is normal to see male friends walking arm in arm or holding hands; it is a sign of friendship, nothing more.
• Men meeting women: many Egyptian women shake hands with foreign men, but some, especially more religious women, do not touch men outside their family. Let her lead. The hand-on-heart gesture is a gracious alternative and is never rude.
• Women meeting women: handshakes, and cheek kisses among friends.
• Titles: older men are often addressed as hagg (one who has made the pilgrimage) or 'amm (uncle), and professionals by title, such as doktor or ustaz (teacher, sir). Your guide may be "Ustaz Ahmed" to the drivers.

Take a moment over greetings. Asking "ezzayak?" (how are you?) before asking for directions or a price is noticed and appreciated. Standing up when an older person enters a room, and greeting the most senior person first, are small habits that mark good manners anywhere in the country.

Why does the left hand matter in Egypt?

The left hand is associated with personal hygiene, so use your right hand to eat, pass food, hand over money, give gifts and shake hands. Nobody will be scandalised if a left-handed traveller slips up, but eating from a shared plate with the left hand is the one moment it really registers.

This matters most at traditional meals, where people tear bread with the right hand and use it to scoop ful, salads and dips from shared plates. In restaurants with cutlery, hold your knife and fork however you like. When paying a taxi driver, handing a tip to a toilet attendant or passing a cup of tea, the right hand is the polite one.

A few related habits: don't point the soles of your feet or shoes at someone, so avoid resting a foot on your knee facing a person or putting your feet up on furniture in a home or office. Shoes are associated with dirt, and showing someone the sole is a traditional insult. Pointing a finger directly at people is also impolite; gesture with an open hand instead. And the gesture you will see everywhere, the fingertips pinched together and pointing upwards, simply means "wait a moment" (shwayya), not annoyance.

What should you do if you are invited to an Egyptian home?

Accept if you can, bring a box of pastries or sweets, take your shoes off if your hosts do, and expect to be fed far more than you can eat. Egyptian hospitality is legendary and an invitation home, often arranged through your guide or a Nubian host in Aswan, is a highlight of many trips.

• Gifts: a box of baklava, basbousa or biscuits from a good patisserie, fruit, or something small from Australia, such as macadamias or a tea towel, goes down well. Don't bring alcohol to a Muslim home, and flowers are less traditional than food.
• Refusing and insisting: hosts will press food and drink on you, and a single "no" is usually treated as politeness. If you are genuinely full, say el-hamdu lillah, shabe't (thanks be to God, I'm full) and pat your stomach. Leaving a little on your plate signals you have had enough; a clean plate may be refilled.
• Compliments: praise the food and the home, and ask about the family. If you admire a child, add ma sha' allah, the customary blessing that guards against the evil eye.
• Time: Egyptians eat late, with lunch often around 3pm and dinner after 9pm, and arriving a little late is normal. During Ramadan, an iftar invitation is the exception: everyone eats the moment the sunset call to prayer sounds, so be on time. Our Ramadan guide explains more.

In cafés and shops, the same instinct shows up as tea. A shopkeeper offering shai is extending ordinary courtesy; accepting doesn't oblige you to buy, though it does oblige you to chat for a few minutes.

What behaviour causes offence in Egypt?

The behaviours that genuinely offend are public displays of affection, revealing clothing away from resorts, drunkenness in public, disrespect towards religion, and loud criticism of the country or its leadership.

• Affection in public: holding hands is fine for couples; kissing and embracing in the street is not. Hotels, cruise ships and Red Sea resorts are more relaxed.
• Dress: covering shoulders and knees is respectful in cities, at sites and in villages; see what to wear in Egypt.
• Religion: don't walk in front of people praying, don't joke about Islam or Christianity, and don't eat, drink or smoke openly in the street during Ramadan daylight hours. For mosque etiquette, see visiting mosques in Egypt.
• Politics: Egyptians may talk politics among friends, but foreigners should avoid volunteering opinions about the government, the president or the military, in conversation or on social media while in the country. Criticism can have legal consequences, so keep it to yourself.
• Alcohol: drink where it is served, not on the street; hotel bars, cruise ships and licensed restaurants are the places for it.
• Photography: ask before photographing people, especially women; some people will say no, and that is their right.

How do conversation and personal space work?

Expect personal questions, closer physical distance between people of the same sex, louder and more animated conversation, and a flexible approach to time.

Within minutes of meeting you, an Egyptian may ask whether you are married, how many children you have and what your job is. This is friendliness, not nosiness, and returning the questions is the right response. Safe topics are family, food, travel and football: mention Mohamed Salah or the Al Ahly versus Zamalek rivalry and you have a friend for the afternoon. Topics to tread lightly around are politics, religion, Israel and Palestine, and relationships between the sexes.

Queues are looser than in Australia, and at counters you may need to be politely assertive. Raised voices in a market or on the street are often just enthusiasm. Time is elastic socially, with "five minutes" meaning anything up to half an hour, but tourism runs to the clock: your guide, driver and cruise ship will expect you on time, and early starts at the temples matter.

Between men and women, a little more distance is expected. Male travellers should not start conversations with Egyptian women they don't know, and women travelling alone will find a polite, slightly reserved manner with men helps; our solo female travel guide goes into detail.

What about tipping, bargaining and Friday?

Tipping (baksheesh) and good-humoured bargaining are part of everyday etiquette, and Friday, the Muslim day of congregational prayer, shapes the weekly rhythm.

Small tips for small services are expected, and how much to give is covered in our tipping guide. Bargaining is expected in markets but not in supermarkets, pharmacies or fixed-price shops, and once you agree a price, walking away is poor form.

On Friday, mosques fill for the midday prayer and sermon, and some shops and offices close until mid-afternoon. Sights remain open, though non-Muslims cannot visit mosques during prayers. Sunday is a normal working day in Egypt, and Coptic Christians attend church on Sunday mornings, so Coptic Cairo is busiest then. Eid and other public holidays add their own rhythm, with families out in force in parks and along the corniches.