"In Egypt, bathrooms in every home, as well as those in public buildings, are fitted with some kind of contraption for washing after using the toilet: a bidet, a standalone low oval basin next to the toilet that one straddles or, more popularly, a shattaf, a fixture in the toilet itself through which water streams out. Sometimes, the shattaf is a small showerhead attached to the wall next to the toilet. I've recently learned that its name in English is a bum gun. It's my favourite kind of shattaf, because you can control the water pressure."
"But in Egypt, bidet or shattaf, everyone washes their ass. And now, washing after you use the toilet might finally take off in the US thanks to the New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, and his wife, Rama Duwaji, who recently moved into their official residence, Gracie Mansion, where they plan to install bidets. So you see, it's not just Egypt where we wash after using the toilet. Zohran is of Indian descent. The word bidet comes from a French term for a small horse, hence the straddling."
Bidets and shattafs serve as common post-toilet washing fixtures in Egypt and many other regions. A bidet is often a standalone low oval basin that one straddles, while a shattaf is a fixture or small showerhead that streams water inside the toilet. The English colloquial name 'bum gun' refers to a handheld shattaf with adjustable pressure. The term bidet derives from a French word for a small horse and shattaf comes from Arabic meaning to clean. Variations of these fixtures exist across Europe, the Middle East, East Asia, and parts of South America. Online markets enable shattaf purchases in the US. Installation plans at Gracie Mansion could boost US adoption.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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