Same-Sex Marriage infamously existed at Egypt's Siwa Oasis

until the practice was suppressed by Western-oriented secular authorities in Cairo:

Can’t link to gayegypt’s web site, as it calls itself “adult”, but google for it, if you wish.

Additionally, it appears that native Siwans are aware of how their way of life risks exposing them to modern repression:

http://www.cairotimes.com/news/siwa0634.html

BTW, I saw the film referenced above at the 2001 New York Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. It made reference to gay marriage only in passing.

Alexander the Great made a trek to Siwa, because of an oracle located there. The oracle proclaimed him a god, possibly due to the fact that he had just conquered Egypt. Was this a case of carrying coals to Newcastle, considering Alexander’s reputation for being homosexual. Just how far back into history does Siwa’s unusual story go?

Who knows? I certainly don’t. I’ve always wanted to get my hands on a copy of that British guy’s travelogue, but given it’s esoteric nature, it’s seemingly hart-to-find.

If this were a case of the “hellenization” of the Siwa oasis or something like that, where did the idea of “marriage” come, since the ancient Greeks did not have, to my knowledge, gay marriage as such, though there was plenty of gayness/gay relationships, of course. For that matter, there’s always been gay relationships in any human society, so was that introduced by Alexander? Common sense would suggest not.

But if gay marriage WAS introduced by Alexander, then what explains Siwa’s gay marriage tradition’s longevity and strength over thousands of years since Alexander’s visit?

I came across this article that focuses on Robin Maugham’s visit to the Oasis l.

Years ago I had read an early account of life between city and Oasis. I have not been able to relocate that subsequently.

I read that in the early C20th a King of Egypt visited and learned of the tradition by which young men married older city men so as to be able to enter the city.
He granted a special for the tradition to continue.

https://www.greek-love.com/near-east-north-africa/egypt/siwa-oasis-robin-maugham-pederasty