Land your hawk on it
Fame comes in many shapes, and one of these is upwardly pointed, gelled and blow-dried. Khaled Abdel-Rasul recounts a hairy experience
In the low-income district of Matariya resides Mr Moustache, King of Moustaches, the man with the biggest, largest, best sculptured moustache in the world. He is otherwise known as Ahmed Fathi Mahmoud, aka Fathi Moustache, a retired accountant.
But not only is Mahmoud a professional moustache bearer, he is the man who founded the League of the Exquisitely Moustached. I ask people in his Matariya neighbourhood for directions to his house, and every time I got a conspiratorial smile. "I see, you're looking for Fathi Moustache," someone would say cheerfully, before pointing the way.
I end up in a small sitting room, its walls almost entirely covered with award certificates, medals, and articles from the Arab and Egyptian press. The King, doubtlessly aware of court ceremony, lets me wait for a while before making his entrance. He arrives as a vision flanked by upwardly pointed whiskers that loop to an altitude almost level with the bald, smooth cap of his head. In the affectedly serious voice of someone accustomed to the fanfare of show business, he asks: "You say, from which paper are you?" I give him my details, and -- satisfied -- he gives me an account of his career.
Fathi Moustache started growing his unusual whiskers in the early 1970s, at age 32. Inspiration came from his father's uncle, a man whose moustache was as exceptional as his persona. A moustache "on which a hawk can land" is, as we all know, a commendable reference to masculine virility in many folk tales, a symbol of both chivalry and strength.
It was not long ago that social status and manhood were somewhat linked to the length of moustaches and beards, when the worst possible humiliation to a moustached man was to force him to shave his whiskers. Although this is no longer true, it seems that moustaches have not completely lost their power to impress, or at least entertain. Life can imitate folk tales, it seems.
Was it the desire to awe or the need for attention that prompted Fathi to acquire such a facial accessory and found a special league for the similarly accessorised? Is it not possible for a man to gain respect in his community without having to resort to such shenanigans? "Of course it is possible," the King said, "but one would not be as famous."
And fame has its rewards. "People recognise me anywhere. In summer resorts and playgrounds, people would compete to have their pictures taken with me. Whenever you walk into a place, heads turn. The media treats us as celebrities. At openings of shops or projects, the owners would ask me to cut the ribbon," he related. "The moustache is good for public relations, sometimes as good as wasta (cronyism). Once I went into a police station to get out a fellow who was detained there, and the officers called in a photographer to have their pictures taken with me."
But this particular type of fame does not come cheaply. Fathi may spend up to LE1,000 [$150] on creams, sprays, gel, and other tonics for his moustache per month. His daily regimen is quite exacting. At night, the moustache is carefully soaped and rinsed, rubbed with oil for 15 minutes, washed with shampoo, conditioned, rubbed with oil for another 15 minutes, soaped and then rinsed. At dawn the moustache gets another oil rub, is rinsed in hot water, blow dried, treated with a special spray, styled with gel and dried.
The King is not alone in making a semi-career of being totally moustached. The League of the Exquisitely Moustached, which he formed 15 years ago, now boasts 147 members, all sharing this unique passion. Most are underprivileged, small- time artisans and entertainers, or low-level bureaucrats or retirees. They have their own shows, hold their own competitions, and love it when the media shows up. You never know when a bit of celebrity status may come in handy.
C a p t i o n : THE LEAGUE OF DISTINGUISHED MOUSTACHES: (forefront of photo) Ahmed Fathi Mahmoud
Al-Ahram Weekly Online : 27 November - 3 December 2003 (Issue No. 666)
Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/666/li1.htm