``In traditional marriages the bride leaves home to live with her husband, who must meet all the financial needs of the family. In this union it is the opposite,'' said Selim al-Awa, a Cairo attorney who specialises in Islamic law.

``The husband is exempted of any financial obligation and visits his wife periodically,'' he said.

This unorthodox coupling, which has grown in popularity in recent months and become the subject of much debate in Egyptian society, appears to get around the age-old problem of eligible women gradually turning into spinsters when no man asks for their hand.

``Tradition calls for unions to be made within the family circle, and this limits a girl's chance to find a husband. As a result, many become old maids,'' Awa said. Being married also gives women higher status in anIslamic society.

``The concierge, the grocer and the neighbours show more respect towards me than when I was single,'' said Nahid, a 46-year-old interpreter who formed a passers-by marriage with an already married man and became his second wife.``It suits me fine. I have to travel a lot because of my work, and not having a husband at home means I'm not tied down and can move when the job calls,'' said Nahid.

She sees her husband three or four times a week.

That kind of modern convenience is appealing to more and more Egyptians of both sexes. Newspaper columnist Salah Muntasser said that after she wrote about a woman looking for a passers-by marriage, she was deluged with letters from readers.

``Most of the comments I received were favourable,'' she said.

But while such an arrangement is both handy and legal, it is not sanctioned by the Muslim faith. ``It is a legal form of marriage which is duly registered with the authorities but it is not proscribed by Islam,'' said attorney Awa.

Even so,popular preacher Sheikh Yussef al-Qaradawi, whose opinion is widely followed, recently sanctioned the passers-by marriage.

``This marriage is lawful even if it is not accepted by society. I do not encourage it, but I cannot prohibit it,'' he said.

And, perhaps even more than in traditional unions, passers-by marriages include their fair share of compromise.

``A normal marriage would have been better but sometimes you don't have a choice,'' said Nahid.

``I worked hard to build a career and this was my priority. But when you get to a certain age in this society you must make a concession.''

``Marriage is a form of protection for women,'' she said.