Alexandria – “I dreamed of giving it a contract of gold as my father did with my mother, but when I visited the goldsmiths, I found that my dream became a heavy weight that my pocket or like my pockets could be strengthened by the youth,” says Karim Abdel -Moati, an Egyptian young man in the mid -thirties working as an employee of a marketing company and recently had to replace his engagement network that he planned for years and selected another silver, in an event that was not familiar Big gold prices.
The story of Abdel -Moaty is not an exception. Rather, it is part of a societal transformation that is in the formation of Egyptian homes in light of the exacerbation of the economic crisis, the deterioration of purchasing power, and the unprecedented rise in gold prices.
This transformation not only affects the numbers, but also challenges one of the most firm customs in the traditions of marriage, which is the “gold network”, which was once a title of pride and evidence of the young man’s seriousness and willingness to take responsibility.
Observers believe that this “network” has today turned into a burden that prompts many to rethink the form of the bond itself.
Records and change in priorities
In late April 2025, the price of a 21 -carat gold, the most trading in Egypt, recorded about 5100 Egyptian pounds (about 106 dollars) after it did not exceed 800 pounds (about 44 dollars at the exchange rate at the time) only 7 years ago.
This standard height made buying the golden grid a long -standing dream even for those who belong to the middle class.
Mamdouh Khalil, the owner of a jewelry store in Alexandria, explains that the average cost of the “network”, which ranged between 15 and 20 thousand pounds (between about 830 and 1100 dollars at a exchange rate in 2018), is now more than 100 thousand pounds (about 2084 dollars currently) even in its most basic designs.
“Customers come to the question and then leave in silence, even those who buy ask for the lowest possible weight, or only one piece instead of a full kit,” he says to Al -Jazeera Net.
This reality prompted some families to postpone the engagement or resort to alternative solutions, most notably the tendency to buy silver as a practical and social option, although it is not without traditional resistance.
Community initiatives and solidarity messages
The signs of the change began to appear since last year when some local pages on Facebook launched popular initiatives that encourage the replacement of silver with gold under slogans such as “gold is not a guide to love”, “silver is a blessing” and “it is not necessary for Dahab to marry.”
With the breadth of the crisis, thousands of users interacted with comments, and many young people re -circulated images of rings, misfortunes and silver rings as “very valuable networks”, accompanied by sarcastic or supportive terms.
Amira Yassin, a graduate student in sociology at Alexandria University, believes that social media has played a role in breaking the “traditional taboos” about the aspects of the link.
“In the past, your announcement of the refusal of gold means that you are unable, but today silver may be a sign of your awareness and responsibility for building a stable life without debt,” she says.
“I addressed 6 months ago, and we agreed from the beginning on the silver network instead of gold, not only because of the prices, but until we start our lives without pressure, the issue did not become strange, and if we waited for the golden network, what remains for us from the days of youth is waiting,” says Ahmed Salama (37 years old), an employee of a private company.
Sarah Hussein, the coordinator of the “August Simply” initiative, says, “We started the initiative at the university to encourage young people to share their experiences in reducing the costs of the passport, and when we suggested the transition to the silver network, the interaction was very large, and some suggested its paint with a layer of gold, so people need an alternative model to make them feel that they are not alone.”
The irony is that silver was not completely alien to the sermon in Egypt, but rather a common choice in the villages of Upper Egypt and Delta during the middle of the last century, especially in the rural environments with limited income.
With the rise of the culture of consumption and fascination with appearances, this habit gradually declined in favor of gold, which turned into a “trust store” more than being decorative, according to observers.
The writer and researcher in the Egyptian folklore, Abeer Al -Jamal, says that many families kept silver rings and silver as a part of the bride until the end of the eighties.
“Silver has symbolism as well, it carries the meanings of purity and simplicity, and its use today should not be explained as a weakness, but rather as a return to the essence.”
In other angles of the scene, there are more radical changes in the thinking of some Egyptian youth, embodied by limited campaigns via the Internet calling for marriage to foreign students studying at Al -Azhar University, especially from Southeast Asian countries, such as Malaysia and Indonesia, because of their “simplicity and after them from the requests of gold and exaggerations.”
Although these calls have not yet turned into a phenomenon, they reflect – according to specialists – a protest against “impossible marriage standards” within the Egyptian society, where the costs of marriage rise not before the youth.
“From the legal point of view, the Islamic religion is not required a certain kind of network or dowry, but rather encourages facilitation, and it was stated in the hadith that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, married a man with an iron ring,” says Sheikh Alaa Attia, one of the scholars of Al -Azhar.
Attia believes that gold is not a condition for the validity of the sermon, and he says to Al -Jazeera Net, “What a man offers from a network or a gift is a kind of satisfaction, and not worship, and the basic principle in marriage is acceptance and goodwill, and not the market value of gifts.”
This proposal meets what Aya Abdullah’s father, a girl from Gharbia Governorate, says that he does not mind agreeing to accept that his daughter’s network is a crew of silver jewelry if she is linked to her life partner, and the use of the network price in other equipment that marriage needs.
“What concerns me is creation and religion, but gold will be consumed and will not remain. I am against putting a rope in the neck of our children in the name of tradition.”
However, Mrs. Iman Abdel Moneim – Justa – did not like the idea of turning the bride network of gold into silver, and she sees that it is not the best solution to the high prices, and the husband must assume his responsibility towards this inherited habit, which varies according to the social level of the newlyweds, with the possibility of content with simple golden artifacts to facilitate marriage matters instead of silver that decreases its value.
Changing traditions in the face of crises
From an economic perspective, the transformations in the marriage rituals are not surprising. The Egyptian history witnessed similar amendments in the periods of crises. After the 1967 setback, the manifestations of extravagance or during the waves of inflation in the seventies and eighties fell.
Economist Rashad Abdo, a professor of economics at Cairo University, confirms that “customs are not fixed, but are formed according to the circumstances, and what is happening now is to rearrange the priorities, and young people are preferred to establish a simple house to buy gold that is useless except social courtesy.”
He explains, in an interview with Al -Jazeera Net, that buying gold or what is known as the “network” for those who are about to marry is not only a tradition or a inherited social habit, but a guarantee of the bride’s right, and at other times a means that can be used to secure the future of the new family in the time of the fluctuations of time and circumstances.
He believes that “the scene in Egypt is not unique. In Lebanon and Venezuela, the youth crises pushed to dispense with the network or replace it with symbolic alternatives, and despite this, this trend is still in its infancy and faces resistance from some families that see that the network is a social symbol that cannot be waived easily.”
The economist continues: It cannot be asserted that gold will disappear from the engagement parties in Egypt, but it is certain that its symbolic position began to budge in front of the reality variables. Silver, although it is not with the sparkle itself, may represent the beginning of a new era of social rituals that redefine the meaning of marriage, not as a theatrical performance of wealth, but as a human contract determined by intentions, not weights.
The economy professor notes that the decrease in the value of the pound prompted many Egyptians to protect their savings by searching for a safe haven to face the effects of inflation in the recent period, including the purchase of dollar, real estate and precious metals, including silver, which has become a preferred option.
