
Places in the History of Sex Work in Egypt: Tal Zynhom
Tal Zynhom, which translates into Zynhom’s Hell, was a huge hell that was outside the old city of Cairo near
Tal Zynhom, which translates into Zynhom’s Hell, was a huge hell that was outside the old city of Cairo near
Wesh El-Berka or Wagah El-Berka, translates to the “face of the lake”, a street with a small alley inside the historical neighborhood of El-Azbakya. The history of this street with sex work is long, and it had an impact on the entire industry throughout its history in Egypt. Even though this street was not part of the “licensed neighborhoods” that were allowed by law to have brothels, that didn’t stop sex workers from operating in the street especially foreigners, due to the foreign privileges that existed at the time. This meant that foreigners could not be prosecuted or arrested by Egyptian officials, but only by their embassies. This made the street one of the sex work industry landmarks in Cairo.
A small STD (sexually transmitted diseases) clinic was in Sayeda Zeinab in 1902, and later turned into the largest STD
A character like El-Gharaby is mysterious, unique in his nature and rare to find throughout the history of modern Egypt.
Sex work remained legal in Egypt until the year 1949 and for this industry, as most industries at the time,