If you’re Egyptian, you will definitely relate to the Egyptian driving rules. Forget all about driving on the left lane when you’re speedy and on the right when you’re slow; forget everything about traffic signs and lights, when it comes to driving in Egypt there’s a whole new set of rules. If you’re unfamiliar with them, you’re totally screwed. Better be safe than sorry, so, read along.

  • Parking = Huge Challenge

Parking in Egypt

When I am heading anywhere the first thing I worry about, other than the torturous traffic, is finding a proper parking space. Unless there is a valet, finding a decent parking spot is often an agonising experience. It’s either the porters are reserving all the parking spaces claiming that a car is arriving shortly and it almost always never does or you start turning into a ‘sayes’  yourself (which is like a valet, but trust me, much more annoying).

  • Soyass = Love/Hate Relationship

Sayes

Most of us have a love/hate relationship, mostly hate, with the soyyas. We all hate their annoying prying and invasion of privacy, “hat3awa2y ya mazmazeil?” or “el 7esab el awel”. They would sometimes provocatively wait until you had parked the car and getting ready to leave to ask you to move it an extra inch to the left or right, as if that would save them an additional parking space. Who do you think you are, asking me whether I’m going to be late or not, when my own dad rarely asks me that question anymore?!

  • Traffic Jam = Car Harassment

traffic jam

It’s when a neighboring car invades the normal accepted space between two cars. People should be aware that there is a comfort zone when it comes to driving cars and this zone should be respected!!

  • Micro-buses and Takatek = Basha

basha

Whenever you spot one you clear the way instantly for them!! If a microbus or a tok tok driver is speeding in the opposite direction of a one-way street, we change the street’s direction but we never tell him off!! Call it passiveness, call it “saysana”; it is what it is.

  • In a hurry while driving = Kalaxat

car horn

If you’re running late for an important appointment, well, you know what you have to do, “Eedak 3al kalaxat”.

Identity is not in any way insinuating that such behaviour is admirable or polite; we’re definitely not promoting it either. However, it is what it is. We just hope it gets better.