Queer Ancestor Spotlight: Siwa Oasis
This post is a bit different because it doesn’t center a particular figure and instead focuses on a location: the Siwa Oasis. This oasis is located in Egypt, near the Libyan border. It is one of the most isolated settlements in Egypt with a distinct culture and language. Settlement at the oasis dates back to ancient Egypt, and it was home to an oracle of Ammon.
Old homes in the Egyptian desert town of Siwa oasis. Source
One unique aspect of Siwan culture was the practice of requiring unmarried men and men under the age of 40 to live outside the city walls. It was the duty of these young men to work the fields and guard against hostile neighbors, but this practice also gave rise to homoerotic - and judging by reports from 20th century anthropologists - explicitly homosexual relationships. Early 20th century researchers and writers made note that Siwan men were fiercely devoted to their same-sex partners with one Siwan merchant stating in 1940 that men “will kill each other for a boy. Never for a woman.” (Maugham, Robin (1950). Journey to Siwa.) In 1937 an anthropological study of the Siwa Oasis noted that sodomy was a common practice among the men. It was discussed openly and “homosexual competition” was the source of most interpersonal conflict.
During the Second World War the oasis became a base for British special operations fighting against Rommel’s Panzer Division in Libya. British officers and soldiers made frequent note of the “degenerate inhabitants” of the oasis and their practices. It’s likely the increasing reports being sent from outsiders regarding the practices of this historically isolated location paved the way for the eventual suppression of homosexual acceptance. Shortly after the war ended the government in Cairo outlawed homosexual behavior.
Current Siwan elders and the Egyptian government actively try to repress discussion of historic same-sex practices. Siwan anthropologist, Fathi Malim, wrote a book called Oasis Siwa in 2001 documenting the unique culture of the oasis which included references to homosexual practices. The tribal elders demanded the redaction of this information on penalty of expulsion from the tribe. This material, including a love poem from a man to a youth, was left out of future editions.
