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A bawab or bewab ( ar, بواب ' , literally "gatekeeper"
) is a kind of
doorman common in
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
,
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
.
A bawab's job is to watch the entrance of the house or building where they work and perform errands and tasks for residents, essentially combining the function of a doorman with that of a
building superintendent
A building superintendent or building supervisor (often shortened to super) is a term used in the United States and Canada to refer to a manager responsible for repair and maintenance in a residential building. They are the first point of contac ...
and
errand boy
A courier is a person or organisation that delivers a message, package or letter from one place or person to another place or person. Typically, a courier provides their courier service on a commercial contract basis; however, some couriers are ...
.
The bawab has been described by the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
as a security guard, porter, enforcer of social mores and general snoop, all rolled into one.
Most buildings have four to six bawabs who work in shifts.
Bawabs are usually male and wear a
gallabeya (a type of
kaftan
A kaftan or caftan (; fa, خفتان, ) is a variant of the robe or tunic. Originating in Asia, it has been worn by a number of cultures around the world for thousands of years. In Russian usage, ''kaftan'' instead refers to a style of men's ...
), a native Egyptian dress.
Traditionally, bawabs have been
Nubians
Nubians () ( Nobiin: ''Nobī,'' ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the region which is now northern Sudan and southern Egypt. They originate from the early inhabitants of the central Nile valley, believed to be one of the earliest cradles of ...
, an ethnic group from
southern Egypt
Upper Egypt ( ar, صعيد مصر ', shortened to , , locally: ; ) is the southern portion of Egypt and is composed of the lands on both sides of the Nile that extend upriver from Lower Egypt in the north to Nubia in the south.
In ancient E ...
and northern Sudan.
Often they come from rural areas.
Many modern bawabs are local ex-military men, and some buildings have transitioned to using
private security companies
A private security company (PSC) is a business entity which provides armed or unarmed security services and expertise to clients in the private or public sectors.
Overview
Private security companies are defined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Sta ...
which provide uniformed guards.
A bawab's salary is determined and paid by residents of the house or the residential building. Many bawabs augment their salary by taking tips from residents and prospective tenants.
A bawab might accept a tip from residents seeking privacy for a romantic rendezvous, or from couples looking to rent a unit.
Bawabs have been criticized for this system of taking tips or bribes to avoid the bawab gossiping to other residents about them.
Women in particular have been subject to the threat of reputational damage, with one female visitor to a BBC reporter saying "I can't come up to your apartment with him there...he'll think I'm a whore!"
Bawab characters are common in media featuring Cairo.
For example, Egyptian actor
Ahmed Zaki portrayed a bawab in the 1990 film ''
El-Beh El-Bawab'' ().
References
{{reflist
Cleaning and maintenance occupations
Protective service occupations
Culture in Cairo