A beach scene without a single male? Why bother, wonders Dena Rashed as she explores Egypt's first women-only beach Behind high, maximum-security fences, women languish in sexy swimsuits on a prime stretch of North Coast beach. The sign on the entrance is emphatic: "No men allowed". I heard of this from a friend. "I just came back from the Marina [a private North Coast resort], and you won't believe it: there is a new private beach only for women," she said enthusiastically over the phone. "Many of my friends, even the unveiled, want to explore this new place," she gushed. More than 250 kilometres north of Cairo, this women's enclave is called Al-Yashmak, after the traditional face covering that was de rigeur at the turn of the century until Egyptian feminist Huda Shaarawy symbollically tore hers off in 1923. Alas, women of the new millennium seem to feel the need for the seclusion once offered by cloth, especially as they don the latest in swim wear. To ensure their privacy, big business has stepped in, sealed off a section of beach and named their price: a single membership for the summer season costs LE150. Three bouncers guard the door and four security guards pace the high fences. They are all women. By the door, a well-built young woman directs other younger female bouncers to ensure the privacy of the women at the beach. "Did you check that there was no mobile phone in that bag, specifically one with a camera?" Heba Mohamed, the head bouncer, asked her colleague. "It is our job to ensure that only women with memberships enter, and most importantly, with no cameras," she said. Mohamed, a graduate of the Faculty of Physical Fitness, is one of 49 young women who serve the beach, inside and out. "It is a women's haven," said Dalia Samir, the beach manager. "We managed to employ women lifeguards, vendors, bouncers and ushers." With a big smile on her face, Rehab Asy, a young veiled woman, relaxed on the beach in a bikini, something she had not been able to do since she became veiled. "My friends told me about the beach, and I just thought it was a brilliant idea for girls who want to enjoy the beach freely and yet in privacy." To attract more women to Al- Yashmak, the organisers are trying to offer all the activities available at mixed beaches. "We provided them with sports facilities at Gold's Gym, and we are planning beach aerobics classes, not to mention sales booths for all sorts of beach paraphernalia," said Samir. Another idea is to set up a manicure and pedicure booth on the beach. "Girls can't find these services in Marina," she added, "And we have put up higher fences because some women asked us to do that." With the growing number of veiled women, businesses have flourished to meet the growing market. In the past few years, special shops for veiled women's apparel have proliferated along with special hairdressers' shops and special rooms or special hours for women at gyms. "We started surveying people last summer on the idea of the beach, and we found out that many were enthusiastic about it, so for the past six months we have been preparing the beach," said Walid Mustafa, the CEO of Nile PR Company and the creator of Al- Yashmak. Mustafa said that veiled women used to have to wake up early or find deserted beaches in order to be able to swim freely, so the company met their increasing demand. "We can't forget that, ultimately, we are a conservative society," he said. "We need to serve the community's needs." However, much of the company's business would suggest a more nuanced understanding of what "our society" is all about. At La Plage in Marina and Caribbiano in Agamy, two of the private beaches created by Nile PR Company, slick young men and women swim, work on their tan, socialise and dance till sunset. And although alcohol is not served, patrons are allowed to bring their own drinks with them. Under Al-Yashmak's flashy orange umbrellas, a group of 15 women in their late twenties, having driven over 100 kilometres from Alexandria, were lying back on the beach enjoying the sea and the sun. "I have been veiled for a year and a half and, since then, I have not found a place where I could walk freely in my swimsuit, and I hate the share'i swimsuits," which are designed for veiled women and cover the whole body, said Laila, a young Alexandrian woman. Laila's friends are not all veiled. "The beach could certainly attract non-veiled women," said Omnia Nouh. "I, for example came with my friends from Alexandria just to join them, and I don't have a problem with being on a women's beach." For women who have no problem with mixed beaches, Al-Yashmak offers an opportunity to socialise with their women friends. As Dina El-Fiqi, 17, who came to see her veiled friend, said, "The beach is okay, but still I would rather be at the other 'normal' beach." The feeling of freedom may not be the only motive behind Al-Yashmak. Shyness is another strong motive for some women. Lying down on the beach, reading a book, and not worrying about men's opinions is what the beach offers some women. "I feel shy walking around in my swimsuit on the other beaches," said Dalia Ibrahim. "But here I feel I don't have to worry about that. It is almost the same atmosphere: the DJ, the soft drinks and the gym, so I don't feel I am missing much." In the afternoon, the female disk jockey, Faten Zein, sets the dancing mood for the female crowd. Originally a model, she trained with a male DJ for a couple of weeks before starting at Al-Yashmak. Although Zein is not veiled, she enjoys the idea of the women-only beach. "I am here all day and I see all the girls acting naturally. And when I play the music, the whole beach turns into a discotheque," she said with a laugh. Religiously-correct fun designed with the trendy upper class woman in mind.
